• Flea markets are a common feature in all major cities across the world.
• Maasai markets in Nairobi are an example of how successful this business model can be.
Saturday, December 1, 2018 was the last day of a one-week trip to Paris and around 9am, I stepped out of my hotel room to try getting some last minute shopping done. At this time, the most important thing that I need was an extra suitcase or bag to accommodate the many things that I had collected.
It was my first trip to Europe and was what I record in my books as an eye-opener especially on all things urban planning.
So in the stinging morning cold, I walked up Rue Littré, turned to Rue de Rennes before crossing Boulevard du Montparnasse. Finding that the Galeries Lafayette Montparnasse was still crossed, I walked up Rue du Départ.
And just at the end of the Lafayette mall, I saw a lot of activity on the opposite side of the road on Boulevard Edgar-Quinet. I had passed by the same place previously but there was something different this time around.
The setting reminded me of Market Street in Nairobi on a warm Saturday mid-morning. In my head, I thought to myself that we are not so different from one of the biggest and most expensive cities in the world.
I crossed the road and decided to check out what was being set up. Due to the weather, I learnt that the traders were just setting up but this usually happens earlier than 9am. Some were putting up tents while others put up what looked like semi-permanent structures made of metal stands and plastic roofing.
Some of the traders had already started cooking their foods ranging from pieces of bread to fish to deep-fried potatoes. On one side, there were some traders setting up clothes stalls as well as fresh foods and flowers while on the other side most of the traders were dealing in cooked food.
The traders informed me that this happens every Saturday when the businesspersons, most of whom operate on the outskirts of the City come and set up shop. And this is not the only place that flea markets are set up on weekends, they told me.
“And they are very popular with tourists (I was actually on an official visit) like yourself,” one of the traders said as he served me some chocolate crêpe.
You can find such markets in various other streets across Paris, and which would normally be a no go zone for such traders on a weekday. I had never thought that I would see such a flea market in the middle of Paris perhaps due to the fact that I hadn’t travelled to the northern hemisphere before then.
It was therefore shocking to see a video of Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko shouting obscenities at traders while driving along Market Street on Saturday. The Governor expressed his ‘disgust’ and used words like ‘taka taka’ (rubbish) and ‘washenzi’ (stupid) while referring to the traders and their wares.
This very unfortunate incident shows that lack of understanding in our administrators on how to create jobs and opportunities for the masses. Ironically, the Governor is a member of the Nairobi Regeneration team, which had recently proposed to close some roads on Wednesday and Saturdays while allowing hawkers to set up shop on them.
Flea Markets are a common feature in major cities across the world and Nairobi should not be an exemption. Some popular ones include the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market in New York, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market in Thailand, Flohmarkt im Mauerpark in Berlin, Portobello Road in London and Ferikoy Flea Market in Istanbul.
In fact, the success of the Masaai Markets across Nairobi on different days of the week as well as the K1 Flea Market on Sunday should be a hint to the county and national governments on the opportunity that exists.
Administrators should, instead of doing what the Governor recorded himself doing, be coming up with proper policies and regulations on how such markets should be set up and operated.
The markets provide jobs and opportunities for the masses and could also be a revenue avenue for the county government, which like all others is struggling in raising enough money. The ultimate goal should be to have these markets even running late into the night with the aim of creating a 24-hour economy for Nairobi.
It would, therefore, be key for the county government to look at these traders, not as a menace, but an opportunity to grow business in the city. When well done, these markets have the potential to become a great attraction for the city as we have seen with the current ones.
A lot of Nairobi small scale traders are always looking out for markets and the CBD is a great place for them to be on weekends. We can only hope that Governor Sonko will not kill their dreams of making a livelihood by dismissing their wares as 'taka taka