Trader Security Pledge: Interior PS Omollo Promises Crackdown on Criminals as 600 Markets Are BuiltTrader Security Pledge: Interior PS Omollo Promises Crackdown on Criminals as 600 Markets Are Built
Key Highlights
- Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo told traders in Ndhiwa, Homa Bay County, that security agencies will act against people who intimidate traders or disrupt business, including at night.
- Omollo said more than 600 markets are being built nationally, with planned cold rooms and refrigeration meant to help fish traders who move their catch from the lake to consumers.
- Traders also raised limited credit, unreliable electricity and weak infrastructure, while the government pointed to changes in Credit Reference Bureau listing rules, the Hustler Fund and last-mile power connections.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has promised traders in Homa Bay County that security agencies will move against criminals who intimidate them and disrupt business, including at night.
The pledge matters because insecurity topped the complaints traders raised at a meeting in Ndhiwa Sub-county on 17 October, alongside limited credit, poor infrastructure and unreliable electricity. Omollo told business leaders that the Interior ministry would work with security agencies to protect traders, and that more than 600 markets are being built across the country, including in Homa Bay.
"Through our security agencies, we are coming hard on these criminal elements," Omollo said. He added that security is essential to economic growth and that traders must be able to work without fear of intimidation or theft. He also urged young people involved in crime to take up lawful economic opportunities, telling them that crime does not pay.
What traders asked for at Ndhiwa
Traders at the meeting listed insecurity, limited access to credit, inadequate infrastructure, unreliable electricity and welfare support for members facing illness or bereavement. They also asked for better hygiene and wider business support.
Omollo answered with a list of government programmes. He cited changes to Credit Reference Bureau listing rules meant to help borrowers rebuild their credit histories, and the Hustler Fund, which lends to individuals and small businesses. He also pointed to road construction and rehabilitation and the last-mile electricity connectivity programme.
Credit costs remain a live concern for small traders. Mwenendo earlier reported on how average bank lending rates reached 14.34% in August, even with the Central Bank Rate held at 8.75%.
Cold rooms for perishable stock
The proposed markets include cold rooms and refrigeration. Omollo said these would help traders who handle perishables, including fish traders who move their catch from the lake to consumers.
The Interior PS did not say how many of the 600 markets are finished, what they cost or when they will open, and Mwenendo has not seen State Department figures on those points. Until that data is published, the 600 figure describes a building programme rather than a measure of benefit to traders. The crackdown is likewise a pledge: no operation, deployment or timeline was announced.
Rising costs add urgency for market traders. As Mwenendo earlier reported, transport costs rose 15.6% on the year as inflation reached 6.8% in September, which squeezes the margins of anyone moving goods to market.
In Summary
- Who made the pledge?
- Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, speaking to traders and business leaders.
- What did he promise?
- That security agencies will act against criminals who intimidate traders or disrupt business, including at night.
- When was the meeting held?
- On 17 October 2026.
- Where did it take place?
- Ndhiwa Sub-county, Homa Bay County, Kenya.
- Why does it matter to traders?
- Insecurity topped their complaints, alongside limited credit, poor infrastructure and unreliable electricity.
- How is the government supporting traders?
- Through more than 600 markets under construction, Credit Reference Bureau rule changes, the Hustler Fund and last-mile electricity connections.
