GOVERNMENT CALLS FOR RESPONSIBLE VENDING PRACTICES WHILE SUPPORTING LIVELIHOODS

Basseterre, Saint Kitts, April 06, 2026 (SKNIS): Street vendors across Basseterre and its surrounding communities are being encouraged to play a more active role in keeping their business spaces clean, safe, and compliant, as the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis continues to support their efforts to earn a living while maintaining order and public health.

The Honourable Senator, Dr. Joyelle Clarke, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment, highlighted the growing challenges associated with unauthorised vending, including environmental concerns, traffic congestion, and public health risks, during her recent presentation in the National Assembly.

“We welcome partnership and conversation at the Ministry of Sustainable Development. So for any vendor who has set up on greenspaces without permission, we engage several times to explain to them that this is not a place that is authorised for vending. Either it is going to create an environmental problem or traffic congestion,” said Senator Clarke. “We generally and in most cases, provide persons with alternatives,” she added, underscoring the government’s supportive approach.

Rather than enforcement alone, the ministry has focused on engagement, working with vendors to relocate to approved areas and, where necessary, providing time and guidance to make that transition.

However, Minister Clarke pointed to concerning practices along key corridors, including the improper disposal of waste such as coconut husks, which can contribute to mosquito breeding and wider public health issues.

“What we are saying to the vendors who are deciding to sell, you must take everything with you at the end of the day,” she stressed, calling for greater personal responsibility among vendors.

Dr. Clarke also encouraged individuals to formally engage with the Department of Physical Planning or the Department of Urban Development and Resilience to access designated vending spaces, noting that sustainable livelihoods and orderly development must go hand in hand.

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