Gikomba Market, East Africa’s largest open-air market, has experienced unpredictable fires annually.
For decades, the market has been a source of income for many including food vendors, second-hand clothes traders, carpenters, business people and many more.
However, for many years they have constantly been in tears, encountered losses as fire mocked their success by razing down the market.
The latest fire this year was experienced on October 19, barely two months after another fire in August that prompted the traders to sue the county government over frequent fires.
Also in February this year, a fire broke out and the “mitumba “section was still affected.
Seeking to address the problem, Nairobi County Government and the National Government opted to built a new five-storey Gikomba market at a cost of Sh3 billion.
The first phase has since been completed and already occupied by traders while phase two is ongoing.