By Robert Mutasi 
The Uasin Gishu County Government has invited eligible traders to apply for trading spaces in five markets as part of efforts to provide more structured and formal business facilities across the county.
The Department of Trade, Investment, Industrialisation, Tourism, Cooperatives and Enterprise Development announced that spaces are available at the 64 Iconic, Kapseret, Ainabkoi, Kesses and Matharu Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) markets.
According to a public notice issued by the department, the spaces will be allocated to traders who meet the set requirements and intend to conduct lawful businesses within the markets.
Applicants must be legally eligible to operate a business in the respective market and must comply with market rules, regulations and county by-laws.
Applications can be submitted online via https://forms.gle/aBanESwZLVepw3YHB. Traders who need assistance may seek help from ward administrators’ offices or the respective market offices. Once the online form is completed, applicants are required to print the form from the email address used during registration, attach the necessary supporting documents and submit them to the Directorate of Trade at KVDA 12th Floor or through the relevant ward offices.
The deadline for submission is Monday, September 14, 2026, at 5pm. The county has advised that submission of an application does not guarantee allocation of a space. Successful applicants will be notified through the publication of names on the market noticeboards.
The opening of the spaces forms part of a broader national programme to replace congested and informal trading areas with safer, more organised markets. The ESP market programme was first introduced as part of the government’s economic response to the 2007/2008 global financial crisis and has since been integrated into the wider development agenda.
Under the current Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), the government is expanding market development as a way of supporting traders, farmers and small businesses at the grassroots. The programme targets more than 400 modern markets across the country. The State Department for Housing and Urban Development has been involved in developing the facilities, while county governments provide land and manage the completed markets.
Government documents indicate that the markets are intended to improve trading conditions, raise incomes and create employment opportunities. Unlike traditional open-air markets, the newer facilities are designed to offer organised spaces where traders can operate in a more secure and dignified environment. Features in completed and planned markets include cold storage rooms, ablution blocks, lactation rooms and daycare areas, alongside trading and storage spaces.
These amenities are also expected to strengthen local value chains by giving farmers and traders better access to organised markets. Cold storage, for instance, can help preserve perishable produce and reduce post-harvest losses, while better organised trading areas make transactions easier for both sellers and buyers.
For traders in Uasin Gishu, the latest notice offers an opportunity to secure space in the five designated markets, subject to meeting the county’s requirements and successfully passing the allocation process. Those seeking further information have been directed to contact the Trade Department via email.
Eldoret Leo