Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has sought to reassure Gikomba traders, saying none of them will be removed from their trading spaces after a fire swept through the market.
In a notice issued on June 21, hours after the fire, Sakaja said every affected trader would be permitted to return and rebuild exactly where they had been operating before the blaze.
Sakaja said no one would use the fire as a pretext to push traders out of their spaces.
He said traders would be allowed to rebuild on their former sites while the county continued modernizing Gikomba.
The assurance eased fears among hundreds of traders who worried the disaster might be used to drive them out of one of Nairobi’s busiest open-air markets.
The governor said the county is reviewing immediate logistical measures to support recovery and help traders resume business as quickly as possible.
He added that modernization would continue, but not at the expense of traders who have built their livelihoods there for years.
On the other hand, Sakaja blamed some youths for obstructing the county’s faster response to the fire.
He criticized some local residents for stoning a National Youth Service (NYS) fire engine and forcing it back, which disrupted early containment efforts.
Sakaja strongly condemned attacks on first responders, describing them as lawless and unprovoked while efforts to save the market were still underway.
He said an NYS fire engine was stoned and forcibly turned away by rowdy youths, seriously disrupting early efforts to contain the fire.
According to the Kenya Red Cross (KRC), 17 people were injured after crews battled the inferno for 10 hours.
Kenya Red Cross first responders treated 17 casualties with minor injuries, including smoke inhalation and burns, at a first aid post established at the Gikomba Fire Station.
Despite the hostility, county teams remained on site and deployed water bowsers from the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company to help bring the blaze under control.
The governor confirmed he is in direct contact with all 32 chairmen of the different market sections, the area County Commissioner, the local Member of Parliament, and the MCA.
An enumeration exercise is also underway to account for all affected traders and determine the full extent of losses caused by the fire.