Kisumu’s Kibuye Market closed over cholera threat

Kibuye Market has been closed because of fear of widespread cholera in the lakeside city of Kisumu. City Manager Abala Wanga said conditions at the market have increased the risk of spreading cholera. Abala said that lack of clean and safe water supply, improper solid waste management, unsanitary ablution blocks and toilet facilities, open and unsafe cooking practices within the market, blocked drainage systems, and encroachment on access lanes. Health officials have visited the market to assess the condition. The closure will affect more than 10,000 traders. The traders make an average of about Shillings 5,000 per day. Most of the traders have refused to relocate the new Uhuru Market, claiming that they cannot afford the Shillings 10,000 per month rent charged by the county government.