Samburu Senator Hezena Lemaletian has raised concern in the Senate over the growing presence of wholesale traders from other counties operating in Samburu, saying the influx is threatening the survival of local businesses.
Speaking in the Senate, the Senator sought a statement from the Standing Committee on Trade, Industrialization and Tourism, calling for urgent intervention to address what she termed as unfair competition facing local traders.
“Local business owners in Maralal, Baragoi, Archers Post, Wamba and Suguta Marmar have raised the alarm over traders from outside Samburu County who transport goods in lorries and sell in bulk directly to consumers,” said Senator Lemaletian.
She said the activity has disrupted the local market dynamics and left many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) struggling to survive.
The Senator now wants the Senate Committee to outline the regulatory measures the Samburu County Government has put in place to govern the entry and operation of traders from other counties. She also questioned whether the external traders are subjected to the same licensing fees and levies as local businesses.
Senator Lemaletian further asked the Committee to probe the enforcement mechanisms in place to ensure compliance with Samburu County’s trade and market laws by the incoming traders.
She urged the Committee to outline the steps being taken to protect local SMEs from being edged out of the market by the growing influx of external wholesale traders.
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