The Bungoma government has come under sharp criticism for failing to allocate land for Chebukube traders along Bungoma-Mumias road.
The Lands Department has yet to come clear on the ownership of Chebukube market land in Township ward, Bungoma town. It houses in excess of 2,500 traders who have complained about congestion.
Market vice chairperson Patrick Lukhale said the Urban Planning and Lands executive Bramwel Murgor has ignored their suffering. Efforts to reach Murgor were unsuccessful.
Lukhale lamented, "The market is overcrowded, taxation is high and yet the county government has given a deaf ear to the cries of the traders."
He added that the county leadership claimed to have paid for the land, yet a businessman from the county is also claiming ownership.
"We have heard much propaganda and gossiping within this market that the land belongs to a tycoon. Therefore, we call on the county leadership to come on board and do the necessary," he said.
Justus Nyongesa said the land is two-and-a-half acres. "Landgrabbers have possessed our land from the sides and I call on surveyors to come back and measure the land to establish the original boundaries."
Lukhale noted that since the start of the dual-carriageway project, more than over 20 traders have been displaced. He urged that the construction works be completed as soon as possible so such traders can return to their stations.
"This huge deep furrow is really wasting us because customers are unable to cross over to the market and access the commodities," he said.
Lukhale appealed to Mugor to disclose the rightful owners of the land. He accused the human rights activists team that visited the site of pretending to help them build public latrines, only to disappear never to be seen again
"I would like to urge those human rights activists to come back and deliver what they promised us," he said.