For more than 100 years, MacKinnon Market, commonly known as Marikiti, has stood at the centre of Mombasa Town.
The market was built in 1914 and named after the then colonial governor of Kenya, Sir Henry Mackinnon, who officially opened it.
Due to its central location, access to roads and open, flexible plan, it was well-positioned to serve Asians and Europeans living in the port town.
Africans were later allowed in after independence. Despite being located along a busy road and attracting many shoppers, the market has retained the same structural look since its construction, and the building still stands steady.
Minor renovations were only made in 2017, when the market was repainted in white with Egyptian blue border on the edges and windows.
The roof of the market, which was leaking, was also repaired.
While walking along Digo Road, it is hard to not see the market due to its tall iron-rail windows and white washed archaic walls.
Inside the market, an engraved mast traces much of the building materials from Bristol in the United Kingdom.
Due to its historical significance, the market was gazetted as a national monument in 1980 under the Antiques and Monuments Act of Kenya.
Today, more than 200 entrepreneurs operate small businesses in the market.
The evolving agricultural produce found there creates a fun and exciting shopping atmosphere that keeps both visitors and natives returning to sample new items, especially spices from Zanzibar.
Since being listed as a heritage site, it has also become a bucket-list destination for many tourists who visit Mombasa island.
The variety of fruits and spices neatly placed on the market stalls makes it a gorgeous spot for Instagram shots.
It is common to see a group of tourists with their guides taking pictures while sampling baobab seeds (mabuyu), fruits and other foods on sale.
While the market has the status of a tourist attraction site, the economic standing of its clientele is as diverse as the geographical origin of its produce.
Retailers who buy produce from the market feed a significant percentage of Mombasa residents.
Traders who frequent the market are not just the round-the-corner kiosk owners or estate mama mbogas. Customers include Mombasa’s glitzy restaurants and hotels.
Stall ownership at the market has been passed down from generation to generation. According to Mackinnon Market Stall Holders Association Chairman Mohamed Ali, some of the owners have been trading at the market for more than 50 years.
Mr Ali started running his stall in 1999 at the age of 19.
However, he laments that business has changed over the past few years following the influx of hawkers, who sell similar items outside the market and the cropping up of more retail markets.
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