The first batch of traders at Nairobi’s Gikomba market is expected to move into new modern stalls from September as work on the Sh5 billion redevelopment project gathers pace.
Nairobi Rivers Commission CEO Joseph Muracia said the first phase of the project was nearing completion, with roofing works currently underway.
“We are currently doing roofing, and all traders will be settled in new markets by June-July next year,” Muracia said.
He said the modernisation was being undertaken in phases, with each phase expected to take about four to five months.
Gikomba market chairman Mugo Kibathi said construction was more than 70 per cent complete and the first batch of traders was expected to occupy the new stalls in September.
“We will give the traders numbers and number the stalls,” Kibathi said.
About 5,000 shoe traders would be the first to benefit from the new stalls, with other traders set to be accommodated as subsequent phases are completed.
The second phase will accommodate second-hand clothes traders, while traders dealing in greens and grains will also be allocated space.
Timber traders will be accommodated near Machakos Country Bus, Kibathi said.
The redevelopment is part of a Sh5 billion project being jointly implemented by the national and Nairobi county governments to transform Gikomba into a modern trading centre.
The initiative is also part of a broader agreement between the two levels of government to invest about Sh80 billion in infrastructure and urban renewal projects across Nairobi.
Beyond addressing the perennial fires that have affected the market, the project seeks to improve trading conditions, restore order and support efforts to rehabilitate the polluted Nairobi River.
The first phase is estimated to cost Sh800 million and will accommodate about 7,000 traders.
Supervised by the Kenya Defence Forces, the facility will comprise a multi-level structure with a sub-basement, basement and several upper floors.
It will include secure trading stalls, cold rooms for traders dealing in perishable goods, modern sanitation facilities, ICT hubs, basement parking and a day-care centre.
The remaining three phases, estimated to cost Sh3.8 billion, will provide space for thousands more traders.
The second phase is expected to accommodate about 3,000 traders, while subsequent phases will create additional space for more than 3,000 others.
For traders, the development offers a potential solution to problems that have plagued Gikomba for decades, including fires, congestion and poor working conditions.
The modernisation comes after dozens of traders were affected by an overnight demolition in March as authorities moved to reclaim riparian areas following severe flooding in Nairobi.
The demolition left traders sifting through debris to salvage goods, with some complaining that adequate relocation arrangements had not been provided.
County officials, however, said the exercise followed due process and that traders had been given notice to vacate the affected areas.
The structures were among those identified as encroaching on designated riparian land, as part of a wider government effort to clear developments along Nairobi’s riverbanks and drainage corridors.
Authorities have said phased demolitions and relocation will minimise disruption while allowing construction of safer and more modern trading facilities.
