Fire guts down Marikiti market in Nairobi CBD following land ownership dispute

Marikiti traders were on Friday morning left counting losses after a fire destroyed part of the market in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) following an alleged land ownership dispute with Kenya Railways.

Stores used by the traders to house their trading material such as sacks were completely destroyed in the inferno.

A few of the traders who spoke to Citizen Digital alleged that the fire occurred in the presence of security officers.

The incident came a day after Kenya Railways evicted some traders who operated at a site owned by the parastatal which is currently on an ownership dispute with the traders.

Nairobi has in the recent past witnessed massive destruction of properties by NMS in an exercise aimed at reclaiming land owned by the government.

The government has also hinted at a project of shifting Marikiti market to a site on Kangundo Road in order to decongest the CBD.