Every market has a distinct smell. It is a mix of fish, vegetables, people’s sweat and garbage.
But in Sokomoko in Likuyani sub-county, Kakamega County, you are welcomed by the smell of fermented flour being roasted in preparation for busaa brewing.
Sokomoko is Swahili word for hullabaloo, confusion or turmoil.
This is the name of the market located about two kilometres from Moi’s Bridge centre.
When walking through the market from the direction of Moi’s Bridge, the visitor spots many shops with mud walls, iron-sheet roofs and wooden doors, but most of them are closed. Only one or two are open, with one grocery.
Behind these shops, young and mature women are washing dishes and clothes, drawing water from a nearby well. Others are seated and chatting heartily.
It is easy to spot a new person in this area.
In one corner sits a building with a fence of rusty iron sheets. It is labelled Busaa Club. Next to it is a similar den.
It is 10am but loud music and laughter can be heard from the two drinking dens. Inside are a dozen or so revellers enjoying their busaa.
Pastor’s experience
Tim Nyongesa, a pastor at Liberty Church, came from Kitale some 12 years ago and settled in Sokomoko.
When he first arrived, the 38-year-old cleric says he did not like the name Sokomoko, because of the activities and characters he saw in the area.
For instance, he says, couples with a good moral standing would come to Sokomoko but would start fighting after a short while and soon their marriages would break up.
“People take other people’s wives, and divorce is a norm,” he says.
As in any other market place, he says, people try to open their businesses at Sokomoko, but they never flourish.
“I cannot recall that any business has done well in this market. The only businesses booming right now are chang’aa and busaa clubs. There are so many things that are happening here which you cannot even talk about,” he says.
Landlords have to contend with vacant premises. They, too, become captives of alcoholism, which rules Sokomoko.
What is really heartbreaking, he says, is seeing girls as young as 12 in the busaa dens.
Alcoholism a way of life
Naomi Wanjiku, the owner of the only grocery store in Sokomoko, says alcoholism has become a way of life for many residents.
“There are no age restrictions. You will find very young children taking busaa here. So you start wondering whether they even go to school,” she says.
Pastor Nyongesa, who also owns Liberty Academy in the area, says loud music from the busaa dens interferes with children’s studies.
“You wonder what kind of society we are building. Do we have hope in the future if all our children are now involved in alcoholism, drugs, theft and prostitution?” he poses.
Sokomoko market in Likuyani sub-county. Sokomoko is Swahili word for hullabaloo, confusion or turmoil.
It is for this reason that Sokomoko residents have embarked on a mission to rename their market, which is a haven for drunkards and prostitutes.
They hope that changing the market’s name will be the first step to transforming the image and reputation of the market and turn it into a place that locals can be proud of, live in, buy land and develop.
“I believe the name Sokomoko is a bad omen. It attracts demonic activities. What we are seeing here cannot even be seen in other places,” says Ms Wanjiku.
Hideout for criminals
The market is also a hideout for criminals, she says.
She recalls how she woke up one morning to find her seven sheep stolen.
Pastor Nyongesa has not been spared either. The canteen at his school was broken into and everything stolen.
So what is the history of this market?
Joseph Kariuki, a teacher who has lived in Sokomoko for the last 50 years, says it was originally called Machine, covering the area from the railway line to the border between Sisal Estate and Nzoia Scheme.
“In those days, there was only one market centre, which was known as Machine market, just two kilometres from Sokomoko. As the population grew, other centres began mushrooming, and Sokomoko was one of them.
Mr Kariuki said the market began in the 1990s with only one shop called Sokomoko. Any other shop that came thereafter was associated with the name.
Farming was the main activity that kept Sokomoko residents busy.
High enrolment, school dropouts
There are three schools – Lurende Primary School, on the border of Kakamega and Uasin Gishu counties, Moi’s Bridge Primary at Machine market and Liberty Academy at Sokomoko.
Mr Kariuki says enrolment in the three schools is high, but so is the rate of school dropouts due teenage pregnancies. The busaa dens are in the middle of the market and near Liberty Academy.
“Students walking to school pick up some bad habits. Some end up hiding in those busaa clubs. You will find drugs like bhang being sold in such places,” Mr Kariuki says.
Now, residents are pleading with the government to intervene and help them clean up the market. They regret that law enforcers have turned a blind eye to the crimes committed at Sokomoko.
Licensed Busaa clubs
Some of the busaa club owners told the Nation that they are licensed to operate their businesses, sentiments that were echoed by Likuyani sub-county Liquor Licensing Board officer Telah Obulemire.
“We don’t issue licences to chang’aa brewers, but we do to busaa brewers provided they follow the required regulations. However, the government’s wish is to stop issuing licences to busaa brewers,” he says.
“But local politics has interfered with the process. We have even hiked the charges for licensing to Sh50,000 just to try and discourage them but unfortunately they manage to pay.”
He says those who meet the requirements must establish their businesses away from schools or markets and fence the premises so as not to expose their operations to the community.
He said complaints should be forwarded to his office for necessary action.
According to Mr Kariuki, busaa brewing has not uplifted the economy of the area.
“When people go there in the morning, at what time would they have contributed to the economy of this area and the country as a whole?” he wondered.
Changing the name, he says, will be a first step in minimising crime in Sokomoko.
“We believe that a name has power and that there are some things that accompany the name. Sokomoko is associated with bad things. Changing the name will come with many good things,” he says.
Residents staged a peaceful protest recently against the name Sokomoko.
New name
A new name has hence been suggested – Makutano shopping centre.
The next step is to make sure all shops around this market are painted, Pastor Nyongesa says.
“We want to do away completely with anything associated with Sokomoko,” he says.
As part of the transformation, Liberty Academy has also offered to shelter young mothers who dropped out of school due to early pregnancies.
The school has also pledged to help learners whose parents are financially unstable alcoholics who lack focus.
Rococo Communication, a community-based self-help group, is also supporting young people in the area to access healthcare, education and other services.
“We are reconciling them with the community. We understand the challenges that have been associated with Sokomoko and we are working closely with the community to ensure that the name actually changes for good,” said Kevin Ndung’u, the secretary of the organisation. BY DAILY NATION