Relief for traders as South B ward set for first public market

Over 1,500 small-scale traders in Nairobi's South B Ward will have a permanent trading space as the area is set to have its first public market.

South B is among the 85 wards in Nairobi that lack a public market.

In an interview with The Eastleigh Voice, Chief Officer for Trade, Markets, and Cooperatives Godfrey Akumali revealed that the tender for the market was already advertised.

"With assistance from the national government, that market has been advertised through the State Department of Housing and Urban Planning, which will oversee its construction," he said.

"South B people should expect the construction market to commence soon," the chief officer stated.

Akumali added that the South B market is among the 20 new market structures to be constructed in the densely populated capital as a lasting solution to the increasing slums and congestion in the city.

The project is part of the Kenya Kwanza government and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja's manifesto.

Once completed, the traders will relocate from the roadside, where they have been operating for years. Hundreds of the traders in South B are operating their businesses on encroached land on nine road corridors in the ward.

Among the roads are Kapiti, Aoko, Plainsview, Mwangeka, Sorre, Mchumbi, Daidai, Mukenia, and Mariakani.

The traders vary from vegetable vendors, clothes sellers, shoe hawkers, building material vendors, kiosks, and semi-permanent structure owners.

In September 2021, the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) issued a notice to the traders to pull down all structures erected along the roads lest the properties be demolished. However, the demolitions have never occurred, forcing the traders to live in fear of being evicted at any moment.

Operating from the encroached roadside land has led to the illegal dumping of garbage in the open drainages, which results in stagnant water.

"Our traders have been left prone to waterborne diseases due to the water near their business premises. This poses health risks," said Waithera Chege, South B MCA.

The legislator explained that relocating the traders would lead to better sewage systems since illegal garbage dumping in drainages would be reduced.

Already, the county architect Leonard Marwa, the county valuer Collins Ngigi and the Nairobi Regional Lead (Affordable Housing and Markets) Eunice Gathoni have accessed the land ahead of the construction of the modern market.

While addressing the media, the area MCA said the county's resolve was a relief to traders who have been selling their wares along the roads.

Contested land

The land, LR No. 209/12612, where the market will be built has been contested previously.  In August 2023, a commotion arose following reports of individuals purportedly dispatched to dismantle structures erected on the disputed land.

Residents pulled down the fence, leaving the area unoccupied since then.

On September 19, 2023, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) notified Nairobi County of an investigation into alleged land encroachment.

The DCI requested that the county provide copies of survey plans, allocation minutes, beacon certificates, allotment letters, and any pertinent information aiding their inquiry. Concurrently, a petition by MCA Waithera concerning the issue was already under review by the county assembly's planning and housing committee.

The petition attracted signatures from more than 400 South B residents.

"That the modern market would benefit residents mostly by increasing employment opportunities, increasing quality of production, creating an environment for healthy competition and increasing consumer status," part of the petition read.

In September, South B residents protested against the alleged land grabbing and urged the county and national governments to protect the land meant for constructing the only market in the ward.

The following month, the Nairobi county government declared that the contested land belonged to the community.