Nyandarua County is grappling with the underutilisation of modern markets worth over Sh100 million, leaving traders to continue operating in unsanitary and difficult conditions.
At least four markets built to improve trading are either underused or abandoned due to poor design, lack of consultations about usage and and a failure to meet the needs of the local traders.
In Kinangop Constituency, the Kiboro market in Njabini constructed at a cost of Sh5 million is set to be demolished after traders rejected it due to safety and design concerns.
The market was officially opened by former Governor Francis Kimemia on Sep 11, 2019 and has been vandalized as traders operate from outside the market.
According to traders, the market was poorly designed and lacks basic amenities such as toilets and a garbage disposal area.
“Its design is unsuitable for an open-air market but the walls go up to the roof making it inhabitable. It's too small for the more than 200 traders who need space yet it was designed with only 50 traders in mind, ," said Elias Kinyanjui, a trader.
The structure failed to meet the needs of the area, with traders left to contend with rain, dust and cramped spaces.
"It was built like a warehouse and we had to operate outside until a better market was constructed," said Joyce Mureu, another trader.
Area MCA Kiiru Gachomba has acknowledged the challenges and announced plans to partially demolish and redesign the market as a short-term solution.
“We have held a consultative meeting with the traders and the county department of trade, the market must be operationalized. The redesigning is a short-term solution as we construct a modern-storey market at Sh200 million with funding from the World Bank. We have a grant of Sh350 million from the bank, Sh150 million will go to identified road construction, and Sh200 million for the market with a capacity to hold more than 300 traders,” said Mr Gachomba.
Njabini market's strategic location near Nairobi and Kiambu makes it a key commercial hub. However, the design flaws have led to overcrowding on Sunday, the official market day.
In Ol Kalou, Oloriondo Horticultural Market built at a cost of Sh42 million under the Economic Stimulus Programme has remained unused despite being strategically located along the busy Gilgil-Nyahururu highway.
The government constructed the market around 2010 through the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to address challenges faced by horticultural producers, but it has yet to serve its intended purpose.
The county’s Trade and Cooperative Development Department Executive John Muiru acknowledged the challenges with the markets and assured that progress was being made.
“We are working on providing basic services like water, streetlights, and upgrades to the market’s infrastructure in the next financial year/. We will also be reallocating the stalls to new traders after public participation to ensure the market becomes functional,” Mr Muiru said.
Resident Jackson Mwaura noted the market's proximity to several major towns made it an ideal location. But traders are still operating in makeshift shades in the area.
The market features 49 modern shops, an open-air market area, and a cold storage room, but none of the facilities have been put to use.
The abandoned modern market at Boiman town in Nyandarua.
Photo credit: Waikwa Maina | Nation Media Group
“The site was identified due to its strategic location in Karunga Village along the busy Gilgil-Nyahururu Highway. Its proximity to Gilgil, Naivasha, Nakuru, Nyahururu, Ol Kalou among other towns was a key consideration, but the market is yet to be occupied,” says Mwaura.
In Ol Joro Orok Constituency, another modern market at Boiman Trading Centre, built during the tenure of the first Nyandarua Governor Waithaka Mwangi, also remains vacant.
Boiman was once a thriving center but its development has stagnated due to a lack of infrastructure and ongoing issues with flood-prone terrain.
Despite its history as a key agricultural hub for pyrethrum, dairy farming and Irish potato growing, the market is now the target of vandalism and traders have refused to occupy it.
The market includes 20 acres of registered land (Plot Number 434), extending from Gituamba village, but less than one acre has been developed, despite high growth potential because of agricultural activities and proximity to Nyahururu Town which is less than five kilometers away).
"The market was poorly constructed with inadequate roofing and no toilets, making it unusable, especially during the rainy season," said 70-year-old Lucy Nyaruai Wambugu, a trader who has worked in the area for nearly four decades.
"We have to work under very hostile conditions, with stagnant water breeding mosquitoes and rodents."
The area named after white settler Boiman is still a significant hub for potato and snow pea cultivation with dairy farming also gaining momentum due to county government interventions.
Yet, despite its potential, the market sits largely unused, its stalls left to deteriorate.
"It’s a waste of public resources. We are left to operate under makeshift shades, and the market remains a symbol of neglect,” said Ms Beatrice Nyaruai, a trader.
"The government subdivided the land into smaller plots in 1995, but many owners have not received their land titles. Without proper ownership documents, the market cannot be fully developed,” said Mr Stephen Karuno, chairperson of the local business community.
Benson Gathuma, chairman of the Gathuma Foundation which works with farmers and traders, explained that poor internet connectivity, lack of finance institutions and capital flight have exacerbated the town's economic stagnation.
"The area has seen a lot of capital flight, which has hindered the growth of the market. But we are working to bring back economic independence by training residents in finance and business management," Gathuma said.
In Ndaragua Constituency, another abandoned market built by the national government at a cost of Sh25 million remains unused.
Traders in the area continue to operate from makeshift shelters, as the county government negotiates for the handing over of the market.
This market, part of the Economic Stimulus Programme, was built in 2010 with funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) but has never been utilized.
