Millicent Omanga links Gikomba demolitions to rejection of Ruto's Nairobi River appointment

Millicent Omanga links Gikomba demolitions to rejection of Ruto’s Nairobi River appointment

Former nominated senator and businesswoman Millicent Omanga has strongly condemned the recent demolitions at Gikomba Market.

Taking to X, Omanga termed it a devastating blow to the livelihoods of thousands of traders who rely on the market for daily income.

She described the incident as both an economic and humanitarian crisis, noting that many small-scale entrepreneurs have lost their goods, capital, and sole source of sustenance.

“Gikomba is not just a market, it’s the heartbeat of thousands of hustles. Today it’s being torn down. Traders have lost their stock, their property, their livelihood, without alternatives or answers. The largest market in East and Central Africa reduced to loss and silence,” Omanga said.

Gikomba is not just a market, it’s the heartbeat of thousands of hustles.
Today, it’s being torn down. Traders have lost their stock, their property, their livelihoods without alternatives, without answers. The largest market in East and Central Africa reduced to loss and…

— Hon Millicent Omanga (@MillicentOmanga) March 31, 2026

She urged authorities to take responsibility, provide fair compensation to those affected, and put measures in place to prevent such abrupt disruptions in the future.

Omanga also revealed that the demolitions validated her decision to decline an appointment to the Nairobi River Commission, citing concerns over policies that she believes harm ordinary traders and vulnerable communities.

“I couldn’t stand by what I am seeing unfold. What hurts even more is that this is the same government I defended with everything in me. We carried that promise of ‘pesa mfukoni,’ but today it feels like that promise was never meant for us—a cruel twist to steal the money that was supposed to be in our pockets,” she said.

Embakasi North MP James Mwangi Gakuya, known as Bazenga, also condemned the government’s actions, calling the demolitions heartbreaking for traders.

“I stood firmly behind this government, but today, as the demolitions tear through a market that is the lifeline of thousands of Kenyans, that promise feels painfully distant. It is hard to watch hard-working traders lose everything without warning or alternatives,” he said.