Nancy Odindo, a TUKO.co.ke journalist, has over four years of experience covering Kenyan politics, news, and features for digital and print media.

Officers from the county government of Kiambu are nursing injuries after being attacked by a group of armed youths opposed to the construction of the Ngoliba market by the county administration.

The officers who had been deployed to the market to restore order after chaotic scenes that were witnessed on Tuesday, March 25, were forced to scamper for safety after being pelted with stones.

A section of traders blamed area MP Alice Ng'ang'a for the chaos that has rocked the troubled market for over a week now.

Tension began on Wednesday, March 19, when Ng'ang'a, alongside area MCA Joachim Njama and Susan Mburu (nominated) commissioned the construction of the market, which the county government had already advertised and awarded to a contractor.

According to tender documents seen by , the county government of Kiambu invited applications for the construction of the disputed market on September 20, 2024, the tender number being CGKK/TITI/MARKETS/008/2024/2025.

On February 6, the county administration awarded the tender to Brycea General Company Limited, but the company has reportedly been facing resistance from a section of local leaders, making it impossible for construction work to begin.

Ng'ang'a has maintained that the Ngoliba market construction is her project under the National Government's Economic Stimulus Programme and has vowed never to surrender it to the county government.

What is shocking is the MP relying on a tender document issued by the State Department of Housing and Urban Development dated November 13, 2024, issued about two months after the county government's tender notice.

"It's not clear why the Housing Department issued the tender notice under the tender number MLPWHUD/SUD/093/2024/2025-CLUSTER 90 while fully aware the county government had already issued a similar notice two months earlier. It's unethical, suspicious, and unprofessional," said a county official who sought anonymity.

On Tuesday, several traders were injured after police officers deployed to man the market lobbed tear gas canisters at locals who were demanding to know the contractor the area MP had brought on-site.

The officers had pitched tents at the market for days, prompting locals to question their motive.

The county responded by deploying its officers to the market, who were regrettably attacked by a group of hired youths and left with injuries.

The Governor Kimani Wamatang'i-led administration has since secured court orders barring any construction work at Ngoliba market pending a hearing and determination of the dispute.

In other news, Wamatangi announced a significant increase in education funding, raising the county’s annual bursary allocation from KSh 100 million to KSh 750 million in the upcoming financial year.

This marks a sharp contrast to the previous decade, where three former governors collectively disbursed KSh 1 billion, with some students receiving as little as KSh 1,500.

Under the new plan, KSh 500 million will be distributed equally across the county’s 60 wards, while KSh 250 million will serve as an equalisation fund.

Source: TUKO.co.ke