EAGC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the County Government of Kajiado for the establishment and improvement of the existing markets to Smart Markets designs.

Under the MoU, EAGC will implement the Smart Market project by integrating smart market infrastructure that encapsulates the uptake of solar energy and electronic mobility solutions in the Ngong Market.

Additionally, the County Government of Kajiado (CGKJ )developed a Market Management Policy which will provide guidelines on equitable market division as well as put in place an efficient operationalization and management of the markets.

Informed by this policy, the County Government, further developed the Kajiado County Draft Market Management Bill (KCDMB), which is tabled for debate by the County Assembly.

Notably, under the MoU between EAGC and CGKJ, EAGC in partnership with Rockefeller Foundation facilitated a stakeholder consultative workshop for the CGKJ to provide input to the KCDMB, aligned with the ongoing process of developing the National Public Market Development and Management Strategy, currently being spearheaded by EAGC through the National Government and with support from Rockefeller Foundation.

The Revised Draft of the Kajiado County Market Management Bill will be open to public participation and open to debate in the house before ascension of the Bill by the Governor.

EAGC advocates for an enabling environment for the establishment of Smart Markets in Kenya
In the implementation of the Smart Markets, EAGC developed guidelines for an enabling environment for the success of Smart Markets.

The Council, in recognition that markets were channels of Covid-19 transmission and their closure was only a short-term solution, collaborated with the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development to develop a policy for establishment and management of public markets.

The policy provides a framework to address challenges facing markets such as inappropriate infrastructural designs, unsustainable economic models, poor market governance and unfavorable market policies.

• To address these, EAGC has developed a policy brief urging policy makers to:
• Fasttrack the completion and adoption of the Policy for the Development and Management of Public Markets
• Amend the Finance Act and associated regulations to reduce taxes on solar energy and electric vehicles
• Provide incentives for Public Private Partnerships to attract investments for establishment of smart food markets with regulated smart solutions such as smart infrastructure with solar power, water harvesting, cold storage, sustainable waste management

The policy will therefore make provisions for the establishment of market designs that are human-centered and ensure that the establishment, financing and operations of markets is guided by sustainable business models. The policy provisions will also ensure public participation in development of markets; address how markets are governed; harmonize overlapping market laws and regulations; and distinguish the roles and responsibilities of the National Government from those of the County Governments.