Scrap metal dealers in Nakuru have appealed to President Uhuru Kenyatta to lift the ban on scrap metal business.
Nakuru Scrap Metal Dealers Association, who spoke to journalists after a deliberation meeting in Nakuru City on Friday said their members were suffering.
The association chairperson Joseph Wandaka said they have been rendered jobless. He said many scrap metal dealers were being punished for the crimes committed by other people.
“I want to request President Uhuru Kenyatta to consider our over 3 million members who have lost jobs due to the ban on scrap metal business, we are ready to cooperate with the government in protecting its property,” said Mr Wandaka.
The dealers noted that the government was losing much revenue since the ban was imposed.
Mr Shadrack Korir, said the ban has forced him to depend on friends and relatives for survival.
President Kenyatta on January 20 issued a ban on exports and dealings in scrap metal in a move aimed at curbing vandalism of railway lines and power lines in the country.
The decision came after Kenya Power’s transmission line experienced a breakdown that caused a blackout that affected customers across major cities in the country.
Scrap metal dealers claimed that the government was punishing the wrong people since the vandalism of powerlines was an inside job. BY DAILY NATION