Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has voiced strong support for Marikiti traders in Nairobi who are protesting against their relocation from Wakulima Market to the newly built Kangundo Market.
The traders have expressed concerns about safety and disruption to their businesses following the Nairobi County Government’s directive to vacate Wakulima to ease congestion in the Central Business District (CBD).
In a statement released on Thursday, September 12, 2024, Babu Owino condemned the county’s actions, calling for the protection and respect of the traders. He emphasized that their livelihoods were at stake and that their relocation to Kangundo exposed them to security threats. The MP revealed that when traders initially moved to the Kangundo market, they were met with hostility from local residents.
“Nairobi County Government should respect Marikiti traders. The traders were relocated to Kangundo where they were attacked by the locals, and it’s a security threat to insist on them going back there,” he stated.
Owino urged Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to reconsider the decision and respect the traders’ right to earn a living. He highlighted that many Nairobi residents rely on informal businesses to meet basic needs like paying rent and school fees.
“Nairobians have no jobs, and any business they partake in to pay rent, school fees, and buy food should be respected. Watu wa Marikiti msikubali; they want to grab that land. Haiwork,” Owino added, encouraging traders to stand firm against the move.
The protest follows an eviction notice issued on September 10, 2024, which directed all small-scale traders operating in and around Wakulima Market, particularly those selling onions, pineapples, oranges, and potatoes, to move to Kangundo. The notice cited the need to decongest the CBD for smoother vehicle traffic and pedestrian flow.
In response, traders took to the streets as early as 3 a.m. on Thursday to defend their market space, engaging in running battles with police as they blocked roads leading to the CBD in protest of the relocation.
