Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has moved to calm fears among Gikomba traders, assuring them that no one will be displaced from their trading spaces following a fire that tore through the market.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

In a notice seen by  Kenyans.co.ke on June 21, hours after the fire, Sakaja made clear that every affected trader will be allowed to return and rebuild at the exact spot they occupied before the fire.

“ I assure you that no one will take advantage of this fire to displace any trader from their spaces,” stated Sakaja.

“We will allow you all to rebuild where you were, even as we continue modernizing Gikomba.”

📌 What You Need to Know

This came as a relief to hundreds of traders who feared that the disaster could be used as an opportunity to push them out of one of Nairobi's busiest open-air markets.

The governor emphasised that the county is already reviewing immediate logistical mechanisms to support recovery efforts and help traders get back on their feet as fast as possible.

Sakaja also noted that plans to modernize Gikomba will continue, but not at the expense of the very traders who have built their livelihoods there for years.

On the flipside, the governor also took the chance to blame some of the youth for being a stumbling block for the county’s faster response to the fire, which broke out on June 21 at 4:00 a.m.

He took a swipe at some local residents for stoning a National Youth Service (NYS) fire engine and forcibly pushing it back, thereby disrupting early containment efforts.

Sakaja condemned the attacks on first responders in strong terms, describing them as lawless and unprovoked, even as efforts to save the market were still ongoing.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke