Gikomba market

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Gikomba market is an open-air market in Nairobi, Kenya. The market includes sellers of a wide range of goods, including food and clothing. [1] [2] It is particularly noted for having a large number of secondhand clothing (mitumba) sellers, [3] [4] reported to be the most in the country. [5]

History

Gikomba was founded as early as the 1950s. The market was demolished for a first time in the 1970s. [2] On 16 October 1990 the market was bulldozed by the Kenyan government, because of the prevalence of illegal selling. [6]

The market has seen several fires, [2] notably the "Great Gikomba Fire" on 6 September 2000, which burned for eight hours in the used clothing section of the market. [6] In May 2014, two bombs were set off in the market. [7]

In 2014, the Nairobi government reported that around 65,000 people worked in some capacity in the market, and there were an estimated 10,000 different shops. [3] By 2024, the government reported that 100,000 people worked in the market. [2]

References

  1. ↑ "Gikomba 'plugs': Young Kenyans make big bucks from mitumba shopping". Nation. 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kinyanjui, Maureen (2024-06-28). "The history of Nairobi's Gikomba market and its perennial mysterious fires". The Eastleigh Voice News. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  3. 1 2 Crowe, Portia (October 15, 2014). "The global business of secondhand clothes thrives in Kenya". Reuters.
  4. ↑ Mutiti, James Kariuki (2002-07-02). "Gikomba Market Literature: Reflections on the Identity and Aspirations of a Common Entrepreneurial Folk". Fabula. 43 (1–2): 129–138.
  5. ↑ Kajilwa, Graham. "Tracing the origins of Gikomba market". The Standard. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  6. 1 2 Robertson, Claire C. (2007). "Whose crime? Arson, class warfare and traders in Nairobi, 1940-2000". Crime, Histoire & Sociétés / Crime, History & Societies. 11 (2): 25–48. ISSN   1422-0857.
  7. ↑ Dixon, Robyn (16 May 2014). "Ten dead, dozens wounded in Kenya attack as British tourists flee". Los Angeles Times . Johannesburg. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
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