Vendors riot in Karonga over market fee hike: Malawi Police called in to calm situation
Karonga vendors in Malawi’s northern district of Karonga have gone rampage forcing closure of shops and disrupting any business at around the market in protest against the failure by the district council authorities to reduce the recently hiked market fee.
The Karonga District commissioner was refusing to meet the vendors who gathered outside his office.
Malawi Police officer was called in to calm the situatuion
The vendors have since Monday been refusing to pay the market fee as a way of pushing for a councils officials to bow down to their demand and are threatening to go into streets should the council maintain its stand.
In a letter from members of Market Craft Centre to the office of Urban Administration the vendors complained of the market fee hike which they said are now paying K120 from the previous K80 per day.
Bu in response to the letter the district commissioner Emmanuel Bambe said the council’s management has no mandate to act on issues that were unanimously agreed during the consultative forum until such a time it reconvenes.
“Meanwhile, we urge you to comply with the revised bylaws that came into effect on July 1, 2013.failure to comply will result into closure of the market with immediate effect until the next consultative meeting which happen after a year,” says Bambe in the document.
