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Gikomba modern market to be ready by month end

By Hilary Kimuyu October 15th, 2020 2 min read

Traders at the Gikomba market in Nairobi are set to occupy the newly built six-storey modern market by the end of the month.

The Sh493 million market, whose construction works are expected to be completed later this month, will see 324 stalls allocated to the traders who were chosen through balloting system.

Nairobi county commissioner Flora Mworoa, who spoke during an inspection tour of the market on Wednesday, urged the market committee to ensure stall allotment is done transparently.

“The balloting has already been done, the exercise being undertaken today is to give the traders the stall numbers,” said Mworoa.

She said the stalls should only be allocated to people who had been trading in the market.

“We do not want to hear that the committee has brought names of outsiders and their relatives,” he warned.

He said the frequent fire outbreaks at the busy market had necessitated the construction of the modern market in order to provide traders with a conducive environment for business.

Speaking at the site, Engineer Benjamin Njenga from the State Department of Housing and Urban Development said the government will drill a borehole at the market.

According to Eng Njenga, a perimeter wall will be constructed around the market and CCTV cameras installed adding that Gikomba market Phase II would be twice the size of the first phase.

The contractor, Njuca Consolidated, is currently trying to complete the pending works which include toilets, power connections, sewer lines and the powerhouse for the generator.

The first floor will be occupied by fish traders, the second floor will be allocated to 81 traders who were operating in the market area, third floor to sub-tenants, fourth to hawkers and mobile money transfer service operators.

The final two floors will be allocated to hawkers who will also benefit in the planned phase II of the market.

Gikomba market is one of the four markets that the government has constructed at a cost of Sh1.4 billion within Nairobi County.

Others are in Starehe Constituency constructed at a cost of Sh389 million and Westlands at Sh214 million, which are complete, while Karandini market in Dagoretti built at Sh294 million is 80 per cent complete.