How Eastleigh's Yare Business Park transforms into vibrant eatery after sunset

On General Wariungi Street, around Yare Business Park, which is the former Kenya Bus garage, traders have transformed their business activities, adopting a unique business model.

During the day, this business park functions as a typical commercial area, with shops selling mattresses, tyres, furniture, electronics, and household appliances. The premises also serve as booking stations for Alma Bus and Pacific Coach, which operate along the Nairobi–Garissa route.

Throughout the day, the area is bustling with customers purchasing a wide range of products. Traders conduct business from early morning until evening, serving a steady stream of buyers. The environment remains lively, with both individuals and businesses passing through to carry out their daily business.

However, a notable transformation occurs in the evening as the shops close. From around 6 pm, plastic chairs are arranged across open spaces, the ground is swept and watered to reduce dust, and fires are lit in preparation for a different kind of commerce.

The street evolves into a vibrant night-time food market, drawing hundreds of people who come not to shop but to eat. This evening food scene is distinct from the daytime hustle.

The plastic chairs are placed by individual vendors who run food stalls each evening. Each vendor uses differently coloured or marked chairs to identify their own space.

Most of these stalls are operated by women, who set up their cooking stations and prepare meals on the spot. The freshly cooked food includes popular dishes such as rice with beans, white rice served with soup, and Somali pancakes known as Anjeero.

Many people flock to the area because the food is affordable. For example, two Anjeeros with soup cost Sh120, compared to Sh250 or Sh300 in restaurants. A plate of rice with beans goes for Sh150, whereas other establishments may charge up to Sh250.

Fatuma Muhumed, one of the women running a stall, said that although the vendors cook similar meals and offer the same drinks, each manages to attract enough customers—and most of them sell out by the end of the night.

“We all go home at night with everything sold on most days. Our similar food is what attracts people here,” she said.

Customers cite various reasons for choosing to dine on this stretch of General Wariungi Street in the evening—the affordability of the food, the open-air environment, and the chance to relax while enjoying the view.

The area offers scenic glimpses of tall buildings in California Estate and Business Bay Square Mall. Watching the traffic flow along General Wariungi Street adds to the evening’s charm for many patrons.

Faisal Abdiqani Ahmed, a young man who visits the area every night, shared his experience: “It’s kind of dark here with a nice breeze. It’s the perfect place to spend your time while enjoying Anjeero,” he said.

Another regular, Osman Hussein, said a friend introduced him to the area three months ago, and he has since made it part of his evening routine.

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• General Wariungi Street
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• Yare Business Park
• Kenya Bus garage
• How Eastleigh's Yare Business Park transforms into vibrant eatery after sunset
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“Other restaurants are chaotic and don’t have fresh air. The food here is affordable and delicious. This vast space also attracts us,” he explained.

The food is prepared onsite each evening to ensure freshness, with most stalls operating until after midnight. Any leftover food is either taken home or given to street families.

From around 2 am, the space becomes a temporary shelter, as street families gather to sleep until morning. The biggest challenge the vendors face is rainfall, which causes flooding and keeps customers away.

To operate in this space, the women pay a weekly service fee of Sh500 to the Nairobi City County government.