Dream of an ultra-modern market turns into nightmare

By Kenfrey Kiberenge

It was touted as an ultramodern public facility set to revolutionalise hawking in Nairobi.

Those who mooted the idea planned to kill two birds with one stone: Rid Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) of hawkers and matatu menaces.

To realise that dream, Kenyans forked out a staggering Sh700 million to build Muthurwa market along Landhies Road.

According to the plan, nearly 7,000 vehicles plying the Eastlands routes would offload and pick up passengers at the Muthurwa terminus.

Aerial view of a section of Muthurwa market. The entrance to the market on Landhies Road where effluent from the facility is discharged into a nearby gutter

A dumping site inside the market

The relocation of matatus was expected to ease traffic congestion in the city centre.

According to the plan, the facility was also to be a 24-hour market with basic facilities such as water, restrooms, lighting, a hospital, a police station, multi-storied stalls, a banking hall and an administration office.

That is why when then Local Government Minister Musikari Kombo commissioned the construction in 2006, there was a collective sigh of relief from would-be beneficiaries of the facility.

And when President Kibaki finally opened the market and matatu terminus in December 2007, the excitement was palpable.

But nearly four years later, the Muthurwa dream has turned into a nightmare.

Chairman of Hawkers Association Hosea Mwangi says he has put his members on alert to return to town centre next year.

Go back to CBD

"Here we call ourselves IDPs because no one really cares about our plight after we moved out of the CBD. When they (politicians) start campaigns next year, we’ll go back to town," said Mwangi.

For starters, all wastewater is drained into a trench on Landhies Road providing a horrid view for the road users and customers.

The perimeter wall erected around the market is unsightly as dusty nylons now act as roofing materials.

In one section, a tree fell and demolished part of the wall making the nylon roofing to come in handy.

Food kiosks are dangerously situated near the perimeter wall where people have their meals despite the cloud of dust from the nearby busy Landhies Road.

Inside the market, burst sewers are a common sight and the roads are either muddy or dusty depending on the season.

The congestion and loud music emanating from music sellers located in almost every corner of the market completes the less than alluring atmosphere in the facility.

"Hii maji tunakanyaga hatujui kama ni ya sewage ama ni fresh (We are sometimes not sure if we are stepping on sewage or fresh water)," said Ms Sarah Ondieki, who has a small eatery located nearby.

Senior Market Superintendent at City Hall Robert Kiriago acknowledges the sad state of affairs, but adds the council would soon carry out a major renovation to repair the drainage system and dilapidated structures.

Renovations

"In two weeks time, we shall have the papers replaced with provisional iron sheets," said Kiriago.

He, however, blamed the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company for failing to ensure proper drainage system but says, "we are pushing them".

A dumping site situated at the entrance of the market is yet another eyesore hawkers and buyers have to contend with.

"Is it the business of hawkers to be bringing trash to the site or shouldn’t the council ensure that the market is spruced up and garbage brought here in an orderly manner," challenged Mr Mwangi.

But according to Mr Isaac Muraya, the City Council of Nairobi Environment Director, the council is in the process of modernising waste collection and disposal in markets and slums in Nairobi.

"We are almost completing the process of acquiring refuse storage receptacles for waste separation at the source," said Muraya, adding that hawkers would in future be given plastic liner bags with three different colours for various types of trash.

The trash would be separated as paper, organic (recyclable), and non-organic (non-recyclable) materials. Muraya announced that putting up these projects in all of the markets and slums would each cost Sh400 million.

Thick layers of dust cover the roofs in Muthurwa and surrounding areas altering the intended aesthetic value of the blue and red roofs.

The three flyovers, which were supposed to serve as safe footbridges for buyers, have now been turned into havens for street children and are dotted with human waste.

Intimidate passers-by

"They also use the excrement to intimidate unsuspecting passers-by into parting with money and other valuables," said Gideon Murithi, a hawker at the market.

Only a police post, which has no relation to the market, exists in place of the envisioned police station. The banking hall and hospital remain a pipedream.

Hawkers Association Chairman Mr Hosea Mwangi. Photos: Jennifer Wachie/Standard

Most Nairobi residents avoid the market after 6.30pm due to the insecurity, which in turn makes matatus and hawkers to flock the CBD in search of customers.

Mr Godfrey Wanjihia, an expert in small-scale trade like hawking, argues that the poor workmanship and failure by the hawkers to take care of the facility have conspired to impede the realisation of the market’s intended outcome.

Cat and mouse games

Nairobi could slide back into anarchy as hawkers quietly return to the city centre.

Of late, the entire Tom Mboya Street and feeder roads to the CBD are packed with hawkers vending their wares on weekends and most evenings.

Pedestrians are as a result forced to scramble for space with vehicles on the roads, endangering their lives.

And whenever council askaris approach, the hawkers take off in different directions, some snatching ladies’ handbags and mobile phones on the way as they dodge the dreaded City Hall law keepers.

The cat and mouse games between the hawkers and council askaris used to be a daily occurrence during the reign of John Gakuo as Town Clerk before they were finally driven out.

In 2007, President Kibaki bent NCC by-laws and allowed hawkers to trade within the city centre.

Mwangi argues that hawkers are moving from Muthurwa into the CBD to look for customers with purchasing power.