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Gikomba market is a popular destination for Kenyan shoppers eager to save money by getting some of the best deals in town.
The market is also a lifeline to thousands of traders, hawkers and porters who eke out a living in the bustling open-air market whose history is written in flames that have come to define its existence in recent years with frequent fires breaking out.
Gikomba market came into existence in the 1940s to feed a growing demand for household goods and second hand clothes by railway construction workers in Muthurwa as well as a growing population attracted to the city in the hope of a better life.
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Asian traders powered its growth, importing second hand clothes and other supplies which made it popular as the go-to-place for almost every household item and much more.
Construction of old Gikomba market
Seeing its rapid expansion, the colonial administration constructed iron sheet shelters to shield the traders as well as their wares from the sun and the rain in 1952.
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A barbed wire fence was erected around the market in the same year, with reasonable infrastructure and sanitation facilities established in the golden era of Nairobi when everything was well-planned and systems functioned, a sharp contrast to the current chaos.
Rapid growth
Although the market was small, proper planning and order ensured that both traders and shoppers got a better experience, with hawking activities continuing along Pumwani road and areas adjacent to the market.
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The market witnessed exponential growth, fueled by a surge in population with low purchasing power in neighbouring estates.
Most transport routes from upcountry terminating at Gikomba also fueled its growth as it made it easy for traders to receive merchandise from upcountry or send supplies to those residing in rural areas.
In the 1970s, informal cottage industries took over Gikomba and the surrounding areas to provide affordable goods to a steadily-growing low-income population in neighbouring residential areas.
Demolition
A government decision saw the old Gikomba market demolished in 1977 to create room for light industries at the Chiriku area.
Displaced traders and residents set up informal kiosks in the neighbouring areas and quickly spread into neighbouring sections of where the market once stood, including government land and the Nairobi River riparian reserve in what market the begining of chaos for Gikomba.
Fire menace at Gikomba
A sad reality that traders and shoppers have put up with is the frequent fires that leave traders countiong losses with repeated calls for and promises of long-lasting solutions.
READ: How Kenya's Sh12 billion mitumba industry supports 2 million traders
Sunday May 18, 2025 was yet another sad chapter in the market's history with traders counting losses after a fierce fire swept through the the footwear section of the market.
The fire whose cause is yet to be established broke out at around 3am and as has been the case in the past, politicians and government officials are expected to troop to the amrket for another round of promises thorough investigations and commitment to build a well-planned market only to disappear until the next tradgedy strikes when the cycle will be repeated.
This is the third fire to sweep through the market in a period of about two months, with the previous incident reported on April 1.
The market has more than 20 incidents of fire in recent years with the worst one being the great Gikomba fire of 2000 which razed on for more than 8 hours, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.
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The resilience of the traders is evident in how the market rises after every tragedy with stalls being reconstructed and new stock trickling in.
This resilience however comes at a heavy price and has claimed many casualties, including lives and scores of traders who are unable to raise the capital sinking into poverty.