A fire broke out at the Juakali section of Gikomba Market on Friday, February 20, sending thick plumes of smoke into the sky and causing panic among traders and shoppers.
The blaze, whose cause remains unknown, destroyed goods of undetermined value as stall owners rushed to salvage their merchandise.
Videos circulating on social media showed sections of the market engulfed in flames, with helpless traders watching as the inferno spread rapidly through the tightly packed wooden and iron-sheet stalls.
A fire engine from the Nairobi City County Government, based at Kangundo Road Fire Station, responded to the scene.
Firefighters worked alongside traders in efforts to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading further.
Authorities had yet to issue an official statement on the extent of the damage or confirm whether there were any injuries as firefighting operations continued.
Gikomba Market, one of Nairobi’s busiest open-air markets, has in recent years experienced recurring fire incidents that have left traders counting heavy losses.
In 2025 alone, separate blazes destroyed hundreds of stalls across different sections of the market.
In April last year, a fire gutted the timber section of the market in the early hours of the morning, destroying goods of unknown value.
A month later, another massive inferno razed the shoe section near Majengo, with traders estimating losses of more than Sh300 million.
Following the repeated incidents, the county government established a dedicated Gikomba Fire Station to ensure faster emergency response.
The national government also directed that an official title deed for the market be issued within 90 days of November 2024 to curb alleged land grabbing, amid claims by traders that some of the fires were linked to attempts to displace them.
To improve safety and protect livelihoods, the government has since constructed a modern market facility to accommodate more than 1,700 traders, given that most of the traditional stalls were made from highly flammable materials.
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