By Nelson Manneh
Vendors having stalls around the Serekunda Market are complaining about the high cost of ticket issued by the Kanifing 
Municipal Council (KMC) for them to sell during the Tobaski sales ‘Wanterr’ period.
According to the vendors who spoke to this reporter at the market yesterday, 8 September, the KMC is asking them to pay D1000 (One thousand dalasi) per square metre of the space they occupy and which they consider exorbitant.
Mrs. Sally Bangura, one of the vendors, showed this reporter a receipt on which it is written ‘KMC Wanterr Permit 2016’ and the amount of D500 and also the inscription ‘Please return and show on demand’.
“I and my partner are sharing this stall and each of us have paid D500, making it one thousand dalasi,” she said.
She said the ticket is very expensive considering the low sales so far as the customers are not coming to patronise them.
Another vendor at the market, Mr. Lamin Ceesay, also confirmed that he too has paid D1000 for a stall measuring 1 metre. He said the amount they are paying for the ticket does not commensurate with profits they are realising from the low sales.
Bubacarr Njie, another stall owner, said they are not making profits not because of the low turnout of prospective customers and cannot increase the prices to recover their investments.
This reporter was unable to get the municipal officials for comments despite having made unsuccessful attempts to contact them on the issue.
