Sh1.4 billion modern city markets set to be opened – Nairobi News

Balloting exercise for the four of the five modern markets that were being constructed by the government at a cost of approximately Sh1.4 billion within Nairobi County has commenced.

The stalls by small scale traders which are now complete are expected to be occupied before the end of the year, according to the Nairobi County Commissioner Flora Mworoa.

Speaking at Muguga Green Primary School in Westlands Constituency during the balloting exercise for the Westlands market on Monday, Mworoa said the government is concerned about the plight of small scale traders and will continue to empower and provide them with a conducive working environment for business.

“The balloting has already been done, the exercise being undertaken today is to give the traders the stall numbers,” Mworoa added.

Mwariro in Starehe Constituency constructed at a cost of Sh389 million and Westlands (at Sh214 million) are complete while Karandini market in Dagoretti (Sh294 million) and Gikomba market (Sh492 million) are 80 per cent complete.

The Mwariro market has 360 stalls while the six-storey, Gikomba market once completed will have 324 stalls.

CONTAINMENT MEASURES

The two-storey Karandini market has 204 stalls, while the three-storey Westlands market has 371 stalls with a parking on top of the building. Wakulima market along Kangundo Road has 370 stalls.

Wakulima market was built by the African Development Bank under Social Corporate Responsibility to compensate small scale traders who had been displaced during the construction of the Outering-Kangundo road that was being undertaken by the Kenya Urban Roads Authority.

During the same exercise, the county commissioner urged those who will get stalls in the markets to observe Ministry of Health’s containment measures during this time of Covid-19 pandemic.

The State Department of Housing and Urban Development was funded by the World Bank through the Nairobi Metropolitan Services Improvement Project (NAMSIP) to construct the Karandini and Mwariro markets.

Other markets under NAMSIP that are complete and balloting is on-going include Kikuyu, Juja, Ruiru and Kihara in Kiambu County.