This archive report was first published on 25 June 2020.
Nairobi's Gikomba market has been plagued by fires, with the latest incident occurring on October 6, 2020. The fires have been linked to a conflict between traders, tenants of county houses, and suspected land grabbers.
The market, the largest open-air market in the country, has taken over every space in the area, including Gorofani Estate. Phase Four and Five of Gorofani Estate have 42 blocks of county houses, each comprising 16 units.
On June 23, 2015, a fire destroyed property valued at tens of millions of shillings. The fire started at the fish and groceries section of the market. The incident was witnessed by thousands of traders and residents.
According to Gorofani Nyumba Kumi initiative chairman David Ndala, the fires were being deliberately started to destroy the estate 'since the houses are marked for demolition'. The estate has been swallowed up by stalls, with no mains water, toilets, or roads.
Most of the houses are in ruins because of the fires, while many have cracked roofs and walls. The traders have turned toilets into stores as bathrooms overflow with human waste.
Residents suspect top government officials are behind the constant fires. There are reports that a clothes factory is to be put up in the area once the government bans importation of used clothes.
Ms Pamela Akinyi, a resident, was a victim of the 2015 inferno and lost all her belongings. She heard shouting at 2am while asleep with her two grandchildren.
Ms Akinyi added that children abandon school in favour of the quick money they get for doing menial jobs at the market. Mr Augustus Mutuku, another Gorofani resident, expressed fears of another fire after traders hurriedly reconstructed their stalls.
A resident who refused to be identified said the October 6 incident was arson 'as masked people were spotted pouring petrol in different parts of the market before the fire'. He said those behind the fires were known by security guards 'who conveniently disappear just before any outbreak'.
