Dozens of traders along the Kericho–Litein highway are counting huge losses after Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) officials flattened their business premises on Wednesday, September 24.
The demolitions, carried out under heavy police guard, were part of KeNHA’s plan to expand the highway, which has increasingly suffered from traffic gridlocks. According to the agency, the affected stalls and shops had been erected on road reserves land classified as public property making their removal necessary.
But for the traders, many of whom depend entirely on the businesses for survival, the move has left them devastated. They accused President William Ruto’s administration of betraying the “bottom-up” promise meant to uplift small-scale enterprises.
“We were ambushed this morning by KeNHA vehicles. They demolished our shops and destroyed our goods without notice. Yet we’ve been told to trust in bottom-up,” lamented one trader.
Another added: “These businesses are how we pay school fees and feed our children. Now everything is gone. The President told us he would protect small traders, but this is the opposite.”
The operation mirrors a similar wave of demolitions earlier this month along the Kisumu–Busia highway. On September 11, KeNHA officials brought down structures at Maseno Town and Luanda Market, citing the need to rehabilitate and widen the road.
For residents of Litein, however, the Wednesday operation has raised deeper fears that the government’s development agenda is sidelining the very groups it vowed to support.
