Women vendors in Serrekunda Market have expressed frustration with this year’s feast trading saying; they did not make any sales.
The serrekunda market is in the heart of Kanifing Municipality famous for attracting diverse buyers from different parts of the country in preparation for the Eid festival.
The duration provides opportunity for sellers to make business at greater pace. But according to these frustrated women, the period was a nightmare this year marked with losses.
Amie Jallow is one of the women who faced the media today to express their disappointment with the way and Manner KMC allocated space to foreigners during the ‘Wanterr’ at the detriment of citizens.
“The KMC collected one thousand dalasis from mostly non-Gambians to provide space for them outside the market. The situation left we the shop owners in the market with less sales and unable to attract customers.
Buyers mostly stop at these outside vendors and bought their necessities forgetting about us the shop owners inside the market” She stated.
Jallow argued that they did not make any sales during the Koriteh ‘Wanterr’ expressing dismay over how the Senegalese vendors were making sales at their detriment due to the alleged misallocation championed by the council and some members for the municipal police unit.
“When we saw the council and police allocating space for vendors outside the market, we confronted the market manager over the decision. However, he told us it was a presidential directive for sellers to resume selling on the street during the period to mark the Eid ‘Wanterr’. How can you give space for one thousand Dalasis to Senegalese when you have your Gambian brothers and sisters in the market who are always there with or without Eid and regularly paying their taxes to the council. It’s unfair to us and we have to make a stop to it. We expected better from KMC not this kind of sabotage that can potentially kill our business” Jallow argued.
Speaker after Speaker all reechoed similar sentiments that the Eid ‘Wanterr’ did not go in their favor thanks to the council’s conduct and it put their businesses at great risk.
Efforts will be made to speak to the market manager over the allegations which will be featured in our subsequent publications.