Brokers give famed Maasai Market a bad name

By George Gatume

It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon and Vanessa Smith is in high spirits as she approaches Yaya Centre shopping centre.

This is her third week in Kenya and she’s enjoying every bit of her stay.

Smith is visiting the famed Maasai Market to buy gifts to take to family and friends in California, US.

But as she nears the market’s entrance a group of men accost her, each with an intention to sell her one or two items.

"Have a look at this… just have a look even if you are not buying," one tells her.

"Some chains and bangles for you madam… I have more of these in my stall… Will you take a look?" poses another.

Similar scenes play out at the Maasai Market every Friday at the Village Market and on Sunday and Saturday at Yaya Centre and the High Court parking. On Tuesday the market is held at Westgate Mall and Capital Centre Mombasa Road on Wednesday.

Brokers who have invaded the market cause the traders sleepless nights. They accost potential customers to negotiate prices for a commission. They inflate prices and pocket the difference as the traders look on helplessly.

"There’s nothing wrong with this, as it is successfully done in food courts where competition is stiff. But the problem here is lack of regulation or control and the so-called brokers are as uncouth as they come," says Ms Mary Nyaguthii, a trader at the market.

The unfriendly atmosphere is driving away tourists who have turned to craft shops that sell similar items though at a higher price.

There is fear that among the brokers are pickpockets and busybodies. "Nowadays we patrol the market but it is hard to identify the pickpockets. Besides, rules curtail our powers to deal with the brokers," says Mr Francis Ng’ang’a, a council askari.

Ms Berkeley Quinn, who was shopping for a ring for her boyfriend and mementos to take to her friends and family, says brokers are a menace.

Poor organisation

"I was informed about this market by a friend and came to see for myself. It’s a good place; it’s fantastic but the brokers are a nuisance," says Quinn who hails from North Carolina.

The nurse on attachment at a missionary hospital in Kiambu says the market is popular with tourists.

"The traders should know that brokers are chasing away potential customers instead of luring them," says Quinn.

The traders say the first step to bequeath the market dignity is to allocate them a permanent location with parking and washrooms.

"It will enable us to do away with the brokers who are tarnishing the market’s name," says Mr Joe Mogusu, a crafts trader.

Mr John Juma, a broker, denies the allegations.

"The council should authorise a few of us to act as intermediaries between traders and tourists," says Juma.

"We don’t encourage thieves here, and we want to collaborate with council askaris to bring sanity to Maasai Market."

Another broker who sought anonymity says they are not to blame. He says poor organisation and management have contributed to the market’s bad reputation.

Permanent stalls

"The Local Government should put up a good structure in this market or give the traders permanent stalls," she says.

"Some brokers exchange insults and even fight in the presence of visitors. This behaviour gives the market a bad name yet it is one of the places many visitors to Nairobi prefer," says Mr Sam ole Sankale, who sells Maasai shukas.

Maasai Market, which started more than 30 years ago, has outgrown its name. It now trades in cultural and ornamental works from different communities, including Kamba woodcarvings, Kikuyu ciondos, and Kisii soapstone carvings. The market gained fame because it represents Kenyan hospitality and the culture of the Maasai, a community many foreign travellers are interested in. To some, the name is a promise the products reflect cultural purity.

Visitors wishing to explore the cultural and ornamental works of Africa visit the Maasai Market.

Items on display include sculptures, shoes, jewellery, African attires and Kenyan crafts. Prices are negotiable but may vary greatly depending on customers bargaining skill, knowledge of the item on purchase or even the skin colour.

Mr Joseph Muusya, who has sold wood carvings for 10 years at the market, says that he buys his items from rehabilitated street children. He sells assorted animal carvings, necklaces and headgears.

Traders come from every corner of the country and beyond the borders.

Some of the buyers buy the artefacts to sell in their homelands.

Prices vary from as little as Sh5 to have your name etched on a soapstone necklace to Sh3,500 for a giant elephant carving.

"I bought this ivory ring for Sh1,200 but I could not bargain for the headgears," says Quinn.

The traders say that with foresight and proper planning, the City Council of Nairobi can set aside a central curio trading ground.

But the first thing, says Nyaguthii, is to recognise the market’s value and harness its potential for national good.

"The council needs to allocate fulltime askaris since some markets are never manned by us, leading to an invasion of brokers and busybodies," says Ng’ang’a.