By Tobias Ogutu
Kibuye is one of the most well-known markets in Kisumu County, where residents exchange goods and services. It plays a significant role in supporting the economy of Kisumu County, as traders earn a living through buying and selling in this market. However, many lives have been lost due to conflicts over space and leadership within the market. As a key economic hub in Kisumu County, political interests and involvement have intensified these conflicts, contributing to the fatalities. Unfortunately, although the county government is aware of these issues, it has chosen to ignore them.
An interview with Kibuye market traders revealed the daily challenges and fears they endure to operate in that space. In the news, you often see and hear about the Kisumu City Manager opening and allocating spaces to traders in the market. However, according to the traders, the majority of those who appear in the news thanking the City Manager for making the market safe are usually not the actual traders operating in Kibuye, but rather individuals associated with the City Manager. These individuals then rent the spaces back to the real traders for a fee.
Solomon Otieno, a shoe dealer at Kibuye Market, recounts how he mobilized other traders to visit the county offices to petition their concern on the matter but were met with severe beatings and arrests. According to Otieno, there are goons who protect the City Manager and harass any trader who opposes his “monkey business.” “To be safe in Kibuye Market, you must either be a friend of the City Manager or ‘Nyar-Ramba,’ the chairperson of the market,” says Lilian Aluoch, a vegetable vendor there. Most traders in Kibuye refused to reveal their names but stated that it is mandatory for any trader in the market to belong to one of the opposing groups: either Nyar-Ramba’s team or the City Manager’s side. However, whenever these two opposing factions clash, injuries and even deaths occur.
Otieno recalls one of the deadliest fights that broke out in Kibuye Market when the City Manager attempted to take over the market’s toilet management from the Nyar-Ramba team. Three people died during the incident. According to Otieno, goons from the county, whom he considers non-traders, joined the fight and used machetes to kill three men in broad daylight. Police from Kondele Police Station, located just two minutes away from the market, took two hours to arrive. Otieno believes the police delay was deliberate.
Statements from various traders indicate significant political interest and involvement in the Kibuye market, which is cited as the cause of frequent conflicts resulting in injuries and deaths. Rose Akoth confirms this by recounting an incident in which she was involved in a fight; although the police arrested them, a single phone call from a certain politician led to their immediate release.
The peaceful traders are now requesting that the government conduct a thorough inspection to identify and remove all non-traders who are renting out spaces, and allocate these spaces to genuine traders. According to the traders, they pay taxes to the government, but the market’s security is inadequate.
