Open-air business vendors and passenger vehicle owners in Migori town have commended the county government of Migori on its plan to renovate the Bus Park.
Speaking during a meeting that brought together business owners in Migori town’s Central Business District, Kevin Omondi, a businessman in Migori town said that the renovation will bring an end to their miseries, especially during rains.
“I want to commend the county government for being cognisant of the business hick-ups we experience during rains. The process of renovating the bus park will be a reprieve to us,” said Omondi.
The bus park renovation has come after the county government launched Mazingira Youth Programme, an initiative that aims to involve the youth in cleaning the market places within Migori County.
Migori bus park, which was opened by the then Minister of Local Government Musalia Mudavadi, has since then been used by open-air business vendors due to the lack of a well-laid market set for such activities.
This sharing of space by the two completely different entities has always resulted to a messy environment as every individual struggles for space, either for parking or arranging their groceries.
The situation gets even messier during the rainy seasons as the blocked waterways stop the rainwater’s drainage.
As narrated by Beatrice Akinyi, a consistent vegetable vendor at the bus park, the bus park is always flooded during rains, giving them a challenge of where and how to arrange their vegetables.
“We, as the grocery vendors who do not have stalls to arrange our commodities for sale are forced to end business prematurely during the rainy season due to floods which log at the bus park,” she said.
For her, the renovation of the bus park is an answer to their long-time prayer, before the completion of the ongoing construction of Marindi Market, which they hope will permanently solve the problem.
“We have no better way to commend the County’s swift move to save us from the floods by renovating the bus park and opening the waterways which has been long overdue,” she added.
Johanna Oyoo, who has been surviving on escorting the passengers by pushing their luggage on a wheelbarrow, said that the renovation will fill up the potholes which have been slowing down his work.
“My work which involves escorting the travellers to their destinations using a wheelbarrow needs a smooth ground, and this renovation will make my work easy by filling up the wide and deep potholes,” said Johanna.
They however, pleaded with the county government to install a clean water system which they said is lacking in the town’s CBD, as well as dust bins for storing collected wastes before transferring them to the disposal site.
“As we commend the county for a job well done, I wish to plead with them to install some water system in town to be used by the vendors for washing their groceries.” Said Peter Kwama, a businessman in Migori town.
KTMN Reporter 
Meza Mwanza