Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga has announced that the construction of a new modern market at Gikomba Market will take approximately six months.
Speaking on Tuesday, March 31, Hinga assured traders that the phased construction approach is designed to avoid disrupting livelihoods, noting that alternative trading spaces have already been provided.
"There are no jobs that are being lost because we have provided them with an alternative space to trade. We have to do it in phases; you cannot displace over 200,000 traders in one day. It will take 6 months to construct the new market," he said.
Hinga further highlighted the long-standing challenges facing Gikomba, describing it as an overcrowded and inefficient trading hub that has struggled to cope with the growing demand.
"The issue of Gikomba being a non-functional market, there is no space for any vehicles, even though there are roads because of the pressure that the chairman was talking about. It is the only place that does not reject anyone. Because of that pressure that has grown over time, Gikomba has become dysfunctional," he added.
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According to Hinga, the redevelopment project was initiated following direct appeals from traders themselves, who sought government intervention to address the market’s deteriorating state.
"The traders sought an appointment with the President in January. They made a request, the traders and the leadership and said to the President, Gikomba is not functional, come and help us," he explained.
Hinga revealed that the government committed significant funding to the project, with plans to transform the market into a modern and dignified trading environment.
"We sat down with the president, and that is when he committed that there is going to be Ksh5 billion shillings that will be appropriated through our state department to go and build a market that is modern, that provides dignity to traders, that will allow mothers to come with their children," he further said.
Hinga described the planned transformation as a major shift, not only in infrastructure but also in how public markets are perceived and used.
"It’s a tectonic shift. If you look at the master plan and what we are building, it is aspirational. Gikomba will not be the filthy place that people look down on. We are creating a space where you can take your kids over the weekend because the riverfront is functioning very well. What we are doing is huge, turning the sewer into rivers. We are going to have aspirational public spaces," he noted.
Hinga noted that the government’s approach is inclusive and focused on ensuring dignity for all traders regardless of background.
"There is no tribe in a trader, all we know for us is that a trader is a trader and a trader as far as this government is concerned, deserves dignity, that is what we promised them, and that is what we are delivering to them, irrespective of what tribe you belong to," he stated.
The structures along the shoe section of the Gikomba market were flattened on the night of Monday, March 30.
Photos and videos seen by Nairobileo.co.ke showed the section completely flattened by bulldozers and excavators from the Nairobi County government.
The affected traders were seen digging through the debris in an effort to salvage their belongings.
The demolitions follow the lapse of an eviction notice issued to traders operating in the shoe section of the market.
The affected structures were identified as having encroached on designated river reserve land.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino condemned the demolitions, terming them a significant loss for traders operating in the market.
Babu also described the move as a betrayal by the Nairobi County leadership against traders at Gikomba Market.
"As all this was happening, demolitions continued quietly. Traders at Gikomba lost their businesses, their stock, and their only source of income overnight. This is not leadership. It’s betrayal. When the people needed accountability, they were given drama and silence," he said.
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