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On Thursday, President William Ruto revealed that the government will soon begin constructing a new, modern market in Garissa.
The market, popularly known as Suq Mukdi, previously housed over 5,000 small-scale traders selling clothing, groceries, electronics, food, and meat, but was destroyed by a fire in 2022.
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The market had suffered several fire outbreaks in the past, leading to significant losses, with the most recent occurring just months before the 2022 general elections. While some believe the fires were caused by electrical issues from nearby shops, others blame individuals for starting the fires.
Acknowledging the challenges faced by traders, the president assured that his government has allocated Sh500 million for the development of the new market. “I promise that the government will soon begin this major project to build a modern market for Garissa County, complete with cold rooms and storage spaces for traders and farmers to store their products,” he said.
President Ruto was accompanied by several leaders, including Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Environment CS Aden Duale, and Lands CS Alice Wahome, among others.
Addressing concerns about displacing current traders, the president assured that priority would be given to existing occupants of the market and that additional space would be made available to accommodate more traders.
“I urge the market leadership and the county government to work closely with us as we move forward with this project. We have the resources to build a new, modern market for the people of Garissa,” Ruto emphasized.
The county has already made improvements by constructing new access roads to the market, addressing a major issue that previously hindered fire-fighting efforts due to inaccessibility.
