Small-scale traders at Uhuru Market along Jogoo Road are facing heavy losses after their stalls were torn down.
The demolitions took place on the night of Sunday, March 8, with bulldozers and excavators flattening the market structures.
The action followed an eviction notice issued by the Nairobi City County government, targeting vendors operating in the area.
Traders Hit Hard as Uhuru Market Stalls Along Jogoo Road Are Razed. Photo: Courtesy.
The county gave the traders a 72-hour ultimatum to vacate the premises, failure to which it will proceed to demolish their stalls.
Photos and videos from the aftermath showed numerous stalls reduced to rubble, with traders sifting through debris to recover their belongings.
Earlier, on Friday, March 6, Uhuru Market vendors had staged protests and blocked Jogoo Road to oppose the eviction notice.
The traders blamed the Nairobi City County administration for not providing an alternative space for them to continue their businesses.
Police were deployed to disperse protesters and extinguish bonfires along the busy highway.
The demolitions follow similar action by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) in Roysambu along the Thika Superhighway.
On the night of Wednesday, March 4, KeNHA flattened stalls that had encroached on the road reserve.
KeNHA had earlier issued a notice ordering traders in Roysambu to vacate the road reserve.
In the notice dated Monday, January 9, the authority directed roadside vendors operating along the Thika Superhighway at Roysambu and Githurai to remove their goods within seven days.
“Kenya National Highways Authority wishes to notify all roadside traders along the Thika Superhighway at the Roysambu (Both directions) and Githurai (Nairobi direction) sections to clear their wares from the road reserve within seven (7) days of this notice,” the notice read.
The agency later carried out demolitions in Githurai 45 on February 18, leaving several traders counting losses. Police officers were deployed to provide security during the exercise.
KeNHA said the structures posed safety risks in the busy market area and had contributed to accidents over time.
