This archive report was first published on 26 October 2021.
Traders at the Kongowea market in Mombasa county have raised concerns over the alleged embezzlement of Sh 2 million meant for the economic empowerment of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the area.
The money was donated by Deputy President William Ruto during his visit to the market, but it is alleged that a cartel hijacked the distribution process and disappeared with the funds.
According to the traders, the missing amount has caused division among the market's 10,000 traders, who rely on their businesses to make ends meet.
Richard Nyangoto, the market chairman, claimed that only Sh 700,000 out of the Sh 2 million was distributed to the traders, while the balance of Sh 1.2 million has gone missing.
Nyangoto accused the purported officials of sidelining the bonafide market officials with the intention of embezzling the money and demanded that the Sh 1.2 million be recovered from the cartel.
Philip Sammy, the market patron, sympathized with Deputy President Ruto over the incident, saying that those who attended the rally at the market were people brought in from outside the area with a hidden agenda.
Millicent Odudo, the market committee member, pointed out that the money was meant for the empowering of women traders at the market, but it was not fairly distributed, and there was a lot of cheating and lack of transparency during the distribution process.
