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Efforts by the government and other stakeholders to revamp markets and build new ones have given a sense of dignity to small-scale traders and boosted their morale.

For a long time, vending food, clothing and utensils in open-air markets was scorned by many due to the dirty environment in which the business was conducted.

The filth and unsafe makeshift structures discouraged would-be customers, resulting in loss of revenue for the small-scale traders. 

All this is changing for the better, thanks to efforts by various stakeholders to replace the dilapidated structures with modern stalls of varying sizes and design.

A recent tour of Nyeri, Taita Taveta, Kisii and Kakamega counties revealed varied efforts to upgrade the outlets. 

In Chaka, Nyeri county, an upcoming modern market estimated to cost more than Sh630 million, promises to alleviate the suffering by vendors.

Currently, traders in the town sell their wares by the roadside exposed to the vagaries of weather and heavy traffic on the busy Nyeri-Nanyuki road.

Caroline Waguthi, who has sold fruits and vegetables in Chaka for a decade, hopes her struggle to cope with mud and insecurity by the roadside will soon be over. 

“We sell fresh produce such as potatoes, tomatoes and capsicum which rot quickly when stored poorly. A cold storage facility at the new market will help us deal with this challenge,” she says.

She says their traders’ sacco will be domiciled in the new market, making it easy for the small-scale traders to save on a daily basis. 

Waguthi’s optimism is shared by Elizabeth Wanjiru, a vendor in the sleazy bazaar for the last 12 years. 

She says the new market comes with secure parking, a key consideration for her customers, most of who are motorists on transit to Nanyuki or Nyeri. 

Cool storage facility 

“Customers park on the roadside, which discourages many buyers. We also have to hire watchmen to look after our merchandise when we leave in the evening,” said Wanjiru.

Chaka market chairman Benjamin Kamanja says the new market will accommodate 2,000 traders.

“It has modern stalls, a cold storage facility, banking halls, a bus terminus and a police post. Once we move into this new facility, our produce will be safer and won’t rot easily as we’ll have a cooler,” he says.

Kieni Constituency, in which the market is located, is mainly an agricultural region known for growing onions, tomatoes and milk production among others. 

About 98 per cent complete, the project sits on a seven-acre piece of land acquired from New KCC by the county government.

According to Kieni Constituency Development Fund (CDF) chairman Maina Munene, construction of the market began in 2016 and is scheduled for completion by next month.  

In Taveta town, Taita Taveta county, a simple but effective solution has left local traders beaming with pride.  Soko Ya Ndizi, a neat open-air market located on the outskirts of the town near the Tanzanian border, has given dignity to the local traders. 

Kisali Godfrey, a banana vendor in the town for the last 10 years, remembers the poor conditions under which she used to operate before the new market was constructed in 2016. 

“Msikitini market was tiny, dirty and muddy.  From there we were relocated to Uwanja wa Ndege (Taveta Airstrip), which was but a temporary solution,” says the mother of five.

Titus Masila, 65, has borne most of the challenges experienced by Taita small-scale traders having purchased bananas from the town for resale in Makindu for the last 43 years.

He began the trade at Soko Mjinga (Posta) before relocating to Msikitini when the market was moved. He then moved to Uwanja wa Ndege and later to Soko ya Ndizi.

“Previously, our sisal sacks used to get torn due to the muddy conditions. These days we have access to a bathroom, clean toilet and drinking water.

You go home from work looking like an officer (white-collar worker),” said Masila. 

Boda boda operator Mutuku Wambua, 36, from Lesesia village in Taveta, says that the new market has made his job easier.

“We used to slip and fall while loading bananas on motorbikes and even while riding. Unlike this market, which is well constructed, the other one had no shade so we used to get drenched when it rained,” Wambua said.

Kisii county government is in the process of building a 1,200-stall market at Daraja Mbili, Kisii town, aiming to give dignity to banana traders in Keumbu market. 

The bazaar located along the Nairobi-Kisii highway is the main hub for bananas in the region where traders converge to buy the produce for resale.

The county government has cabro-paved a section of the market, making it easy for farmers and buyers.  “Previously I used to sell bananas by the roadside,” says John Abuga, a vendor from Keroka who plies his trade at Keumbu. 

Joyce Moraa says paving the open space makes it easier to load vehicles taking produce to Githurai and Korogocho markets for resale in Nairobi. 

Jua kali sheds

In Kakamega, the refurbishment of Nambacha market, which involved erecting a shade and a concrete floor, has lifted the morale of local traders.  Suleiman Ngokho, a farmer says they now have a decent place to sell their produce. 

Over the last few years the government and development partners have made efforts to support small-scale traders by building or refurbishing old markets in every county. 

Kongowea Market, Mombasa, and Karatina market in Nyeri are some of the outstanding markets that have been renovated in the recent past.  

Under the 2008/2009 Economic Stimulus programme, the government set aside Sh22 billion to go towards the construction of markets and Jua Kali sheds among other activities meant to spur economic growth. 

The idea to refurbish Karatina market and others was mooted under this programme. 

Other new markets built or refurbished recently include Changamwe in Mombasa, Kamakwa (Nyeri) Kithaku Horticulture Market in Imenti and Kiamokama in Kisii among others.