This archive report was first published on 24 August 2019.
Construction of the new Gikomba market in Nairobi has hit a snag, with the project now expected to be completed in March next year.
Transport CS James Macharia made the announcement during an inspection visit to the site on Friday, revealing that the project is currently 35% complete.
Earlier this year, Housing and Urban Planning principal secretary Charles Hinga had stated that the market would be completed by the end of the year, but Macharia's latest update suggests a delay.
The new market, which is expected to alleviate the perennial suffering of traders due to fire outbreaks and other insecurities, will feature a perimeter wall and a borehole.
Priority will be given to traders who were displaced by the fires, with the market set to have 525 stalls serving and selling different wares.
According to Governor Mike Sonko, who first announced plans to turn the East Africa's biggest open air market into a modern, five-storey market in August 2018, the first floor of the proposed market will have a cold room for 25 fish mongers and 76 clothes stalls.
