The second in command had earlier accused the governor of forcefully seeking to relocate the traders from the popular market, claiming that Sakaja was mistreating the very same traders who propelled him to the county seat.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on Friday, September 20 came out guns blazing against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in the latest episode of the tiff between them over the fate of the traders from Wakulima Market popularly known as Marikiti.
The second in command had earlier accused the governor of forcefully seeking to relocate the traders from the popular market, claiming that Sakaja was mistreating the very same traders who propelled him to the county seat.
“I hear they want to take you away from this place. I will not allow that. People are not potatoes to be moved like that,” Gachagua told the Marikiti traders, stating that he had asked the governor to resolve the issues amicably.
However, taking to his Facebook page, Sakaja finally snapped, directly firing at Gachagua for using tribal politics to gain political clout for himself.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua addressing traders at Tea Room, Nairobi CBD on September 20, 2024. /DPPS
“I have for long avoided responding to the Deputy President’s tribal diatribe, but today’s activities leave me no choice. As elected leaders, we have a responsibility to our people to protect and provide them with opportunities to make something out of themselves,” he began.
The county boss revisited the June 2023 road accident where 52 traders who were selling goods along a road reserve were killed in Londiani, Kericho County when a truck driver lost control and ploughed into them. 30 of them had sustained life-changing injuries.
According to Sakaja, their lives cannot be replaced, the accident serving as a reminder of his “duty and mandate that will not let me fall for populist political gimmicks at the expense of the lives and safety of Nairobians.”
Sakaja accused the Deputy President of using falsehoods to incite traders against the measures his administration was taking.
“To Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua I say: If only you had taken your phone and called me as I had suggested, you would have learnt a few things,” he revealed.
“My government has no plan to relocate the Marikiti Market. Selected produce will be delivered wholesale to the other markets we have built using taxpayers’ money. What we will not allow are traders endangering their lives by selling their wares on the roadside.
“They will move to Kangundo Road Market. However, if you have sufficient space outside your office on Harambee Avenue, I am sure they will be happy to display their wares and ply their trade in that safe environment,” he continued.
Sakaja expressed his commitment to bringing about order into the major artery of the city, adding that the move had the support of Nairobi residents and the leadership of the market.
He further revisited Gachagua’s previous appeal to have consultations with the Wakulima Market traders, to which he revealed that his administration has been engaging Nairobi residents and he met with the leadership of Wakulima Market the previous week.
“We agreed on these and other measures that will ease congestion in the market and improve the safety and welfare of our traders and citizens. We will not allow you to take us back,” he added.
Sakaja called on Gachagua not to fuel ethnic divisions by inciting traders and other Kenyans in vernacular language and instead championing positive change.
“A leader of your calibre should provide informed solutions and not stoke tribal disunity in our country. Nairobi is a cosmopolitan global hub that will operate in an orderly manner. I can assure you of that.
“I know you are dealing with other weighty and impending political issues. Keep the people of Nairobi out of it,” he appealed.
Collage of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua (left) and Governor Johnson Sakaja (right). /DPPS.JOHNSON SAKAJA
