By Okong’o Oduya
Fish traders in Busia County are protesting from what they call unfair fish business deals by county officers and their counterparts in Uganda.
They noted that business people from Uganda are giving bribes to officers in the county government of Busia to be allowed to sell their fish in the county directly without their knowledge. According to them they are suffering big loss adding that by doing so the market in the country is flooded by merchandise from Uganda, leaving them hopeless with no place to sell theirs.
Hundreds of them stormed the county offices seeking the address by the Governor Sospeter Ojaamong to give answers to their queries. They wanted the governor to send home Director of local fisheries Mr. Timothy Odende after accusing him of working with the Ugandans to frustrate their business.
Led by their chairman Francis Onyango, they noted that despite paying tax to both Uganda and Kenyan government to run their business smoothly, the officers from fisheries department are encouraging the Ugandans to smuggle in their fish through unregistered routes into the local markets.
“As traders in Busia we are losing millions of monies through these routes despite our cry to the relevant officials to address the issues. We are asking the county government to intervene and help us from this kind of business .” said Mr. Onyango
Responding to the allegations of corruption over phone Director , Timothy Odende blamed the business people for being unfair to him by claiming he is corrupt. He noted that there is no even single day he has ever received any bribe from Ugandan business people as the traders claim.
“I have never received any bribe from anybody i find it unfair for them to accuse me of being corrupt,” Odende said.
According to him he has done a lot in improving the working environment in the market and for the traders. Osia said the claims that he has collaborated with Ugandan traders to allow inflow of fish behind doors is unfair. He added he has played a big role in helping Kenyan traders to compete favorably in the market.
However Busia County governor, Sospeter Ojaamong in his response to their grievances, noted that his government will look into their complaints. He directed the county Minister of Agriculture Moses Osia to arrange and meet with other leaders in the county to find a long lasting solution to the raised problems.
Ojaamong added that the fish trade was formally governed by an international trade agreement between Kenya and Uganda adding that he would meet with the president Uhuru Kenyatta to find a solution by talking with his counterpart Yoweri Museveni.
“We will not sit down and see our traders suffer from unfair trade treaties between the national government of Kenya and Uganda government. If we can’t handle this case by ourselves we will involve the higher office in the country to intervene,” Ojaamong said.
