Traders at Ruiru Market in Kiambu County on Sunday decried experiencing massive losses and losing out on opportunities after being plunged into darkness for almost 1 month.
According to the traders, power was disconnected due to a power bill accumulating to Ksh 2.9 M.
Since December, the traders say that they have resorted to using candles, phones, and other devices for lighting.
“When the Kenya Power Officer came here, he came and showed us a bill of Ksh2.9M,” one of the traders stated.
The traders say that they now have a problem with the only available toilet since there is no water following the electricity disconnection.
The traders regretted that other toilets have been closed since water cannot be pumped there, forcing male and female traders to share 1 facility, which they argued is inappropriate.
They further lamented that unlike during the campaign period, their leaders have not shown up since electricity was disconnected at the market.
“We are wondering why we voted. When our leaders needed our votes they would come here daily, right now we haven't seen even one of them since we lost electricity. It is almost a month now,” a trader said.
The traders called upon the county leadership to come to their aid to clear the bill so that electricity could be restored.
“We have a governor, we have a senator, we have an MP. Why can't one of them who is humane enough help us” one of the traders said while speaking to journalists.
According to another trader, the lack of lights has affected their businesses since customers are now shunning the market due to fear of being robbed in the dark.
She regretted the situation, remarking that most of the traders have loans that they acquired for various purposes including sending their children back to school which she cited as a major reason why they need help to cover the electricity bill.
