Kalonzo to sue Nairobi County over Wakulima Market relocation, alleges plot to grab land

Musyoka who visited the market on Saturday accompanied by other Opposition-allied leaders urged the traders to remain steadfast and reject the relocation.

Kalonzo further stated that he had instructed his lawyer to file a case on Monday to challenge the relocation.

"I have instructed Lawyer Njiru to go to court on Monday to stop this relocation. There is an attempt to seize land here,” he noted.

The leaders argue that the market should be upgraded rather than relocated and that the move lacks proper justification.

"We will stand firm with the citizens to ensure no one is displaced. Instead of relocating people to Kayole, improve this Muthurwa Market. You are feeding the people of Nairobi. Destroying the City Market is destroying the people of Nairobi,” said Kalonzo.

"Do not allow your resources to be taken away by others. Do not agree to be moved to Kayole; there are other people there,” Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu added.

The traders are divided over the relocation to the new Kangundo Road facility, with some insisting they will not move.

According to the traders, their customers are within Nairobi and the new market is already occupied by other traders.

The rift emerged a day after Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja met with a section of Wakulima Market leaders and claimed they had agreed to relocate gradually to the new market on Kangundo Road.

Initially, the relocation process was planned to begin with extra vehicles moving first, but significant disagreement persists.

On Saturday, a group of Wakulima Market traders rejected Sakaja’s statement, emphasizing that no agreement had been reached with the county government. They insisted they would not move.

"I ask you to understand that we will stand our ground and we are not going anywhere. This market was handed down by our ancestors, and we are not leaving,” Wakulima Market Traders Chairperson said.

The traders claim there is a hidden agenda to force them out because their customer base is in Nairobi. They demand that Nairobi City Market be improved rather than relocating them, noting that there is sufficient land to accommodate everyone without moving to the roadside.

"Sakaja, when we voted for him, we were selling even at the gate. We cannot move to Kangundo. Those already in Kangundo, where will they go?" said Lucia Ndinda Kadogoo, a trader.

Another trader Peter Munene Maumau added: "Why move small-scale traders to Kangundo? Why don’t they move their offices there instead?"

The Nairobi County Government recently issued a notice for traders to relocate immediately to the new market on Kangundo Road, sparking widespread unrest among traders in Nairobi.