Eldoret Traders Count Losses After Clashes Disrupt Business
They requested that business leaders should take part in the discussions so they can hear the information which will help them create solutions.
Uasin Gishu County Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairperson Willy Kenai. Photo/Courtesy
By Ruth Sang
The business owners of Eldoret experienced major financial damages after violent clashes occurred between boda boda drivers and both county enforcement officers and security personnel during Uasin Gishu County disturbances. Uasin Gishu County Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairperson Willy Kenei reported that traders had to suspend their business operations for the whole day because the violent clashes created an unsafe environment. He pointed out that businesses between Uganda Road, Oloo Street, Kenyatta Street and Elijah Cheruiyot Street faced severe operational disruptions as multiple shops stayed closed throughout the day.
Kenei informed that traders lost their businesses because they could not provide any of their standard trading activities. He mentioned that daytime civil disturbances prevented customers from reaching Eldoret town, which had a negative effect on all business activities. The business community has now requested the Uasin Gishu County Government and security agencies to resolve boda boda operator conflicts through humanitarian approaches while adhering to legal standards. Kenei demanded that enforcement officers must stay away from using violence or performing harassment activities or damaging motorcycles and instead should proceed with their official duties through lawful arrest procedures and summonses for people who break the law.
He also urged boda boda operators to use appropriate channels to raise grievances and avoid confrontations, warning that unrest damages the image of Eldoret City and negatively affects innocent traders who are not involved in the disputes. The traders requested that boda boda drivers and county enforcement team members and county officials need to establish communication channels which help them avoid incidents like this one from recurring. They requested that business leaders should take part in the discussions so they can hear the information which will help them create solutions.
“We are appealing for calm so that businesspeople and all those carrying out economic activities in Eldoret can continue operating normally,” Kenei said. He expressed gratitude to all participants before he restated the business community’s resolution to maintain peaceful relations with everyone in Eldoret City.
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