There was uproar in Nkubu, Meru County, after small-scale fruit vendors called out their market committee to account for money donated to them.
The money was donated by South Imenti MP Kathuri Murungi, Dr. Shadrack Mwiti, and Kathara to boost Nkubu’s small-scale fruit vendors.
According to Betty, a fruit vendor, they aired their grievances on how they were being oppressed by their market officials to a reporter identified as Dan.
“We are not protesting over Ruto’s money, as a reporter named Dan incorrectly reported. We protested the disappearance of MPs’ contributions. Muthoni, Suree, and Ngiri invited us to a hotel meeting and told us that the MPs had given them money. When they are given to donations to distribute to us, they do not reach us,” Betty said.
Betty said that the vendors did not receive a coin, and rumors suggest that the money was divided among three people identified as Muthoni, Suri, and Ngiri during a hotel meeting.
“They promised to give us the money, but we never received it. They claimed that we were also given money in order to defend themselves. If they are telling the truth, they should show us the people who they claim also received the money,” said Betty.
According to Lucy, a fruit vendor, they planned on shouting baba’s name when Ruto visited Nkubu.
She said Ngiri approached the vendors at the market gate and promised to give her Ksh 50,000 to distribute to the vendors after Ruto’s visit if they did not shout baba.
“When I asked for the money after Ruto had left, Ngiri denied the promise and became rude. She stated that fruit vendors and market officials both received their fair share. She only gave me five printed T-shirts, and when I told her that the market has many vendors, she said that Hon. Kathuri Murungi only gave her five,” said Lucy.
Lucy said Ngiri put her in a difficult situation by lying to the vendors about receiving the money and refusing to share it with them.
“My message to aspirants is that their votes are determined not by the amount of money they spend at market gates, but by the sole decision of the people. Some candidates waste a lot of money on residents and never get a vote. Nkubu market has 800 members, each of whom paid Ksh 100 to register,” said Lucy.
According to Lucy, they were never told how the money was spent, and the money was used for transportation by officials in order to borrow money from aspirants.
“We have lost faith in the market committee because, after exhausting all of the registration funds, they began causing chaos in the market, causing vendors to fight one another. They levy hefty penalties on vendors with indiscipline cases ranging from Ksh 2000 to Ksh 10,000 in order to keep them from being suspended,” said Lucy.
Lucy said that the committee did not have a physical office, and when they discovered that a stall has a large number of items, they always returned to the owner for bribes.
“Hon. Bishop Kawira Mwangaza is a very intelligent leader, which is why people admire her. She asked the women to form groups and open bank accounts into which she deposits the money,” said Lucy.
She said that Hon. Bishop Kawira Mwangaza involves the public in the awarding of bursaries, but their leaders sell the bursaries they receive to the highest bidder.
