County Forms Partnership to Modernize Nairobi Open-Air Markets
The Nairobi City County Government has entered into a landmark public-private partnership aimed at comprehensively modernizing the city’s iconic but aging open-air markets. The initiative, signed with a consortium of local investors and infrastructure developers, will see a total transformation of key markets including Gikomba, Marikiti, and Muthurwa, addressing long-standing issues of congestion, poor sanitation, and inadequate facilities that have plagued traders for decades. This ambitious project represents one of the most significant interventions in the city’s informal retail infrastructure in a generation.
The modernization plan includes the construction of multi-story market structures with designated selling bays, proper sanitation blocks, cold storage facilities for perishable goods, and dedicated loading and unloading zones. The design also incorporates essential utilities like reliable electricity, clean running water, and waste management systems—amenities that have been critically lacking. Critically, the project includes the development of secure storage lockers for traders, a major concern in markets prone to fires and theft. We are moving from the chaotic, vulnerable markets of the past to organized, safe, and hygienic trading spaces. This partnership is about giving Nairobi’s small traders the dignity and infrastructure they deserve to grow their businesses, stated County Executive for Trade, Ms. Wanjiku Mbaru, during the signing ceremony.
The news has been met with a mixture of hope and cautious skepticism from the trader communities, who have seen similar promises fail to materialize in the past. However, the involvement of private investors with a proven track record has lent the project greater credibility. We have been suffering in these markets for too long. If this plan can give us a clean, secure place to work with proper toilets and storage, it will change our lives and our businesses. We just pray that this time, the promises are kept, said Jane Adhiambo, a second-generation textile trader in Gikomba.
The long-term vision for the project extends beyond physical infrastructure. The partnership includes a social component focused on trader capacity building, access to digital financial services, and facilitating linkages to formal supply chains. The county government has assured current traders that they will be prioritized in the allocation of new stalls and that the redevelopment will be conducted in phases to minimize disruption to their livelihoods. This is not about displacing our people; it’s about elevating their trading environment. A modernized market ecosystem will not only improve the welfare of traders but also boost Nairobi’s revenue collection and formalize a vital part of our economy, Governor Johnson Sakaja affirmed.