Eldoret's growing demand for fish and the ensuing lucrative business have sparked a battle for control of the industry after a large-scale fish dealer relocated to the area,
The arrival of Victory Farms, a major supplier, occasioned a fierce clash with local traders, forcing the Uasin Gishu county government to intervene through a public participation exercise.
Local dealers have since petitioned the county to stop the supplier from opening outlets, claiming they might lose customers.
The traders want Victory Farms to remain a supplier and distribute their commodity through local wholesalers.
However, some traders feel the presence of Victory Farms can bring the prices down owing to an upsurge in supply.
Speaking at the public participation meeting in Langas, Uasin Gishu County Director of Licensing and Compliance David Kebenei urged fish suppliers to expand their trade to satisfy the growing demand for the proteinous delicacy.
Kebenei said Eldoretis has yet to meet the huge demand for fish.
"We are now a city and suppliers need to step up distribution because many people including investors will soon be flocking into our city," Kebenei said.
Florence Akinyi Onyango, a trader popularly known as Mama Dota, said Victory provides her with 200 tonnes of fish per month. She then sells to wholesalers and retailers, thus employing hundreds of people in the value chain.
"By coming to establish wholesale and kiosks for fish in Eldoret they will cause closure of many businesses and render many people jobless”, said Dota.
However, a spokesperson for the firm dismissed the claim, arguing that the region's demand was too huge to satisfy both wholesale and retail trade.
A resident, Paul Ouma, agrees with them. “We support the move by Victory to move here because they will inject professionalism in the fish trade which is wide and no one can easily dominate the sector”, said Ouma.
Sio Scissors, a director at Victory, led his company's delegation during the public participation where he highlighted their plan.
“We are not in any way interested in killing the small-scale trade in fish and in fact, we will create more opportunities for other residents to engage in the same business as we all seek to satisfy the markets we have”, Scissors said.
