The County Government of Mombasa has cushioned local business owners and traders from losses by embracing a 24-hour economy in Kongowea Market and commissioning a transparent revenue collection team to curb fraud in the County. Previously, business owners faced the challenges of being conned by fraudsters who pretended to be sent from the County Government to collect revenue. This led to distrust and hesitancy in paying requisite revenues to the County Government because it was difficult to tell who the true County employees responsible for revenue collection were. Traders incurred losses due to double payments of revenues to both the right government officials and the fraudsters. To curb this, the County Government of Mombasa has deployed more officers with branded uniforms and reflector jackets with badges that anyone can scan to verify the identity of the officers. This initiative has increased revenue collection by more than 50%.
The 24-hour economy at Kongowea Market in Mombasa aims to improve the trade and living standards of both business people and residents of Mombasa County. New businesses dealing in the sale of second-hand clothes and farm products like vegetables, fruits and cereals have emerged, hence the increase in revenue collected in Kongowea. To enhance security at the 24-hour market, the County Government procured the services of a CCTV installation company that installed CCTV cameras at the market for easy follow-up on crime complaints and instilling faith in the security provided for traders, especially businesswomen. The County Government is adding more street lights and ensuring lighting inside the market is working for both security purposes and easy flow of trade during the dark at night and early morning.