This archive report was first published on 30 September 2019.
On September 30, 2019, the national government handed over the incomplete Soko Posta Market to the Busia county government.
According to Secretary for State Department of Housing and Urban Development Enosh Onyango, the project was 80% complete and Sh50 million had already been spent on it.
Mr. Onyango challenged the devolved unit to quickly complete the market, stating, “The market started before devolution came into being and it was the only one that was yet to be handed over to the county.”
The Soko Posta Market is one of eight markets constructed by the national government in Port Victoria, Sio Port, Funyula, Mundika, Mau Mau, Nambale, Amukura, and Muruka.
Busia County Governor Sospeter Ojaamong's administration has been torn between completing the Sh75 million Soko Posta market and relocating traders to the site.
County Executive Committee Member for Trade, Cooperative, and Industrialisation Judith Maketho acknowledged public outcry due to the delayed completion of the market and stated that her department would source funds to complete the market for the sake of traders.
Ms. Maketho added, “We are committed to ensuring that the market is completed before the end of the current financial year. There has been public outcry that the market has taken too long to be finished.”
