Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on Monday, October 17 initiated a move to settle the dispute over the ownership of the land where the Gikomba market sits.
Sakaja declared that he would begin the demarcation of the land to lock out land grabbers who claimed possession of the parcel.
He claimed that the cartels were the main reason for the perennial fires at the renowned market, which he maintained is public property.
"I have instructed our surveyors will be on the ground to demarcate the land so as to process the title deed for Gikomba as public land. One of the causes of the fires has been the land grabbers and speculators," Sakaja declared.
In addition, the Governor announced plans to construct a fire station within the market to facilitate faster response to fire breakouts to reduce the damage to property.
The former Nairobi Senator confirmed that several boreholes will be sunk and the hydrants in and around the facility will be serviced to ensure that they are fully operational.
He assured the traders running businesses in the market that security will be beefed up, through the continuation of projects initiated under the now-defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS).
"We will put up the perimeter wall as well boost security using our county security officers as well as CCTV surveillance. I will personally track the progress," stated the county chief.
Sakaja visited the marker in the company of Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan, Pumwani Member of County Assembly (MCA) Omar Petit following an inferno incident reported in some parts of the market.
"I have given my personal immediate support for the traders to rebuild. I am very sorry for your loss," he remarked.
On his part, Hassan lauded the move by Sakaja to sort the land ownership wrangles. He stated that the traders contributed to the economy of the county and needed to be protected.
"These resilient people are already rebuilding their stalls ad racing against time to jump-start their micro-enterprises. As drivers of our urban informal economy, they need all the help they can get," the MP stated.
