Kenya Railways has agreed to accommodate more than 1,000 traders who were last year evicted from its premise in Karatina town.
The traders, according to Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi, will be brought back in a structured way. They will be operating in containers which will be used as stalls and provided by Kenya Railways.
The traders were evicted to pave way for the rehabilitation of the 178-kilometre railway line from Nairobi to Nanyuki.
Speaking when he inspected 150 containers at Kenya railways Karatina station yard, Wamumbi said that the move is aimed at protecting small-scale businesses that are crucial in uplifting the standards of living of the common man.
“When these traders were operating their businesses along this route, money was in circulation in this constituency as the traders were making a kill. After they were evicted, their businesses collapsed and they have been living in abject poverty ever since but we are hoping the businesses will be revived once they resume,” he said.
He said that the Kenya Kwanza government is committed to ensuring that the small-scale traders are working in a conducive environment.
The traders lamented that since their businesses were closed, they have not been able to cater for their basic needs and many were locked out of their houses for failure to pay rent.
“For the past year, we have not been in a position to even pay school fees for our children and we have been relying on bursaries to sustain our children in school. We have also been locked out in our rented houses many times for defaulting in paying rent,” a trader said.
They said that many of them have also had their properties auctioned by SACCOs since they were unable to service their loans.
The traders were evicted to pave way for the revival of Railway services but Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who was then the area MP, promised to have them return to their working places once they took over power.
