(PHOTOS) Fire ravages Gikomba, again

Gikomba traders were met with utter shock on Monday after property of unknown value was destroyed by fire.

The fire is said to have started at 1am, with the cause yet to be established.

Barely 48 hours earlier, the traders received a blow after the Nairobi Metropolitan Services was granted permission by the court to evict a section of the Mitumba sellers to pave way for the expansion of Pumwani Majengo Health centre.

The Nairobi County fire brigade managed to access the scene 10 hours later due to inaccessibility of the highly congested market, leaving the traders helpless fighting a losing battle.

The section of the market that has been burnt was the Mitumba section where most traders usually keep their commodities ‘bale’ in the market.

It is barely a month since another fire ravaged a section of the market.

Traders have condemned the recurrent fires that are barely investigated despite the market's major role in job creation.

Gikomba Market, East Africa’s largest open-air market, has experienced unpredictable fires annually.

For decades, the market has been a source of income for many including food vendors, second-hand clothes traders, carpenters, business people and many more.