Nairobi County has officially completed the construction of a new seven-storey Gikomba Market located along Quarry Road, marking a major milestone in the city’s efforts to modernise traditional trading spaces. The new market is designed to accommodate over 1,700 traders, offering a safer, cleaner, and more organised trading environment.
According to Governor Johnson Sakaja, the project is part of the county’s broader strategy to transform informal markets into modern business hubs that ensure safety and dignity for small-scale traders. The new market features basement parking, a day-care centre, a youth centre, cold rooms, and dedicated hardware sections, facilities that the county says will improve the overall functionality and comfort of both traders and customers.
“For years, Gikomba has been a place of pain for many families who’ve lost everything to fires,” Sakaja said during an inspection tour. “What we’re building here is not just a market, it’s hope, order, and dignity for our traders.”
The Gikomba redevelopment project comes after years of frequent fire incidents that destroyed property worth millions of shillings, prompting the county to prioritise safety and proper planning. The multi-storey complex is expected to ease congestion, reduce fire risks, and bring order to one of Nairobi’s busiest trading centres, known primarily for clothes, household goods, and hardware supplies.
However, concerns remain over whether all traders were adequately consulted on the relocation process, an issue that has previously caused friction between City Hall and traders’ associations.
Beyond Gikomba, the county is also developing other modern market facilities, including the Mutuini Market in Dagoretti South Sub-County, which will host over 500 traders and feature improved drainage, lighting, and cold storage facilities. These market projects are being implemented in partnership with the national government to enhance service delivery and promote economic growth across Nairobi’s informal trading sector.
