Busia Fish Traders Lament Over Flooding

 

Fish traders in Busia town have appealed to the County government to address the problem of flooding at the fish market by laying a good drainage system.

Led by Mr. Francis Amollo Aketch, Chairman of the Busia Cross-Border Fish Management Unit, the traders said the poor drainage system at the market has led them to incur losses in their business.

“The World Bank constructed a modern market for us, but when it rains, there is an overflow of water in the market, and because we lack stalls, the business is carried out on the floor, which affects our business and makes us incur losses. We are pleading with the county government to help us solve the drainage issues. They should also construct stalls for us in this market,” said Aketch.

He said that despite paying taxes to the County government, they still shoulder the responsibility of cleaning.

“We are paying taxes, but no one from the County cleans the market. They will come very early to collect taxes and go. We look for a person to clean, and even after that, there is no space to dispose of the litter; we again have to pay someone to go and dispose of the litter at the appropriate place,” he complained.

The Fish Management Unit Chair appreciated the National government for their intervention when the fish transporters were being harassed by the Ugandan authorities.

“Previously, vehicles transporting our fish used to be held by Ugandan authorities, but our government officials and those from Uganda came together and solved the issue. Since that time, we have not experienced the same issues to date.”

The FMU official asked the county government, under the leadership of Governor Paul Otwoma, to serve them by constructing the lower market.

“We have two markets; the upper one was constructed, but at the lower market, nothing has been done. We are requesting the county government to construct for us a modern market so that the traders can sell their fish without experiencing many challenges. They should also help us get storage facilities for our fish.”

The traders expressed their confidence that if the county government attends to their needs, there will be an increase in business productivity, which in turn will result in an increase in revenue collection in Busia County.

By Rodgers Omondi