PHOTO: Some market women venting their anger
By Moses M. Tokpah, mosesmtokpah@gmail.com
KAKATA, Liberia- Several market women here in Margibi County’s capital are threatening to abandon the newly renovated Kakata general market, if some of their colleagues continue selling in prohibited area.
A previous was recently demolished by the City Mayor of Kakata, Emmanuel M. Goll.
Years ago, the husband of Rep. Wreh, Prince Anything Wreh constructed the structure at the back of the headquarters of the Liberia National Police Margibi detachment to accommodate market women who were selling in the open.
Since its construction, the facility has been used by the market women, but the number increased, thus giving rise to others selling along the road leading to the C.H Rennie referral Hospital and 26th gate respectively.
But that was demolished by Mayor Goll on Saturday, July 31, 2021 on grounds that the lives of the marketers were at risk.
This led to the women seeking the intervention of Representative Wreh and subsequently marching to the offices of the County Superintendent on Monday, August 2, 2021 to seek redress.
Following more than 4 hours of closed door meeting on Monday, Representative Wreh along with the Kakata City Mayor, Representative of the Liberia Marketing Association, the County Superintendent and other local officials toured the different markets.
During their first stop at the “Police Station Market”, Rep. Wreh informed the market women that their demolished structure will be rebuilt but with caveat.
She told them that there should be a reduction in the number of persons in the area to avoid them from selling along the road while those who moved to other markets following the demolition of the structure should return as others will be sent to the general market and the Vai Town market something that was welcomed by the women.
But the story changed in the Kakata general market, when several market women in the area threatened to move into the streets and sell their goods and to also stage a protest if their colleagues remain at the back of the Police Station.
Some of the market women speaking to LPR in an angry tones on Monday, said allowing their colleagues to remind in the area will undermine their businesses as their goods will not be purchased.
They said, already people are not buying their goods because their colleagues intercept the buyers along the way.
The women at the same time lauded the Mayor for his action stating that it is in the interest of everyone, thereby calling on Hon. Attoh to take the project she intends to implement at the back of the police station to the Kakata general market.
According to them, the facility will accommodate everyone including those that are behind the police station and in the streets.
One of the women identified as Abigail Johnson said the Kakata general market is spacious enough to accommodate everyone and as such, the Lawmaker should abandone her plan of rebuilding the demolished structure.
“We vote Ellen Attoh but now she now carry the market over there, the market empty, we need more seller to come in the market so the market can be park let they buy from people.
Everybody can fit here, space outside if you think I lying go check outside space outside, our pa did well he want for the market to be park; space here” Abigail Johnson lamented.
Madam Johnson who sells cook food commonly known as cook bowl said people do not transact business with her because there are many of her colleagues (food sellers) all in the streets selling.
Another business woman known as Krubah Jackson said they have to move to the street at night with their goods before transacting business.
“When we not move from here in the night, we put our load on our head we go way in the street we can’t get five dollar to eat, our market will leave wasting here until in the night we take it and carry it on the road; because they behind the Police Station they can’t buy here so everybody mo come here”.
“I like the way the Mayor taking it let everybody come sit down here, we not agree let her come build it here, if she build that market we will go in the street” she continued.
Dormowah Kollie, another aggrieved business woman said she’s in support of the Mayor’s decision to demolish the facility on grounds that the general market needs not to be empty.
“The people leave the market and go on the street to go sell, it make it people can’t enter here to buy from us but then we get more space here, we get the space here for them but they said that they want leave behind there but we will not agree, when they leave behind there we will go block the street and we sell there too” she expressed.
The Kakata general market was renovated by the Bong Infrastructure Limited owned by Bong County former Senator Henry W. Yallah which was contracted by the Ministry of Agriculture through the Smallholder Agricultural Productivity Enhancement and Commercialization Project, (MOA/SAPEC Project) with funding from the African Development Bank (ADB).
The cost of the project is a little over two hundred and ninety thousand United State dollars US$290,000. Started in 2019, the project should have been implement in ten months beginning June of 2019 but the deadline was not met as it got completed in May of 2021.
The project has not been dedicated but some of the business women foced their way in after paying for table or spot, but many of their colleagues are not showing willingness in moving into the facility as they have gotten used to selling in the street.
Meanwhile, Rep. Wreh in an interview with newsmen on Monday said she knows that the women at the general market are angry because they did not understand untill when she engaged them and showed them names of 26 of their colleagues that she does not know but volunteered to help with zinc in order for them to remain in the market.
“Let’s be honest with what we do, it’s not about politics, if we all claim that the market in district four which is the big market is big enough why are we constructing tables outside of that market; we went there we saw it so it clearly says that the market can not accommodate everybody they are our people” she explained.
Hon. Attoh indicated that since the renovated general market can not accommodate everyone for which they are building an extension outside, then the next thing to do is for the structure at the back of the police station should remain there and accommodate the number of persons it can.
“Those who been selling in front of the police station that had absolutely no table space we will facility the process which I elected to do to send them to district three which is Vai Town market or to send them to the big market in district four.
She stated that it’s not about someone being her constituent or not but it’s about the well bring of the citizens of the county.
The Lawmaker said she will work with the 26 persons’ listing and provide them the zinc she promised and at the same time work with the Mayor and the Superintendent as per their agreement to reconstruct the police station market.