A section of traders operating from Wakulima Market along Haile Selassie Avenue in Nairobi popularly known as Marikiti clashed with police and county officials as they resisted their eviction.
The move by the Nairobi County Government is part of the large plans to settle the traders at the one along Kangundo Road.
The traders had on Tuesday been served with eviction notices and asked to relocate to the Kangundo Road market.
In a notice dated September 10, the acting County Secretary Godfrey Akumali directed Potato, Pineapple, oranges and onion traders to move to the newly opened Kangundo Road market.
This was in a bid to decongest the Central Business District to allow free flow of traffic and to provide parking space.
The changes were to take effect, immediately.
“It has been decided that all onion, pineapple, oranges and Potato traders operating outside and inside the market relocate to Kangundo Road Market where there is spacious trading space and ample parking for business,” Akumali directed.
Officials said Kangundo Road Market is spacious and the traders should not worry about customers.
They argued that customers would follow the traders to the new market.
At about 4 am on Thursday County security officials arrived and started to clear the stalls that the traders there operate from.
According to some traders, this sparked outrage and anger prompting them to pelt stones at the security officials.
They vowed not to move out saying the place they are being moved to is already occupied.
The group lit bonfires and used boulders to block the busy road as police tried to use teargas canisters to disperse them.
This caused a huge traffic jam on the road and adjacent ones before personnel were deployed to direct them elsewhere.
The standoff continued for hours as the traders demanded a chat with Governor Johnson Sakaja.
“The governor needs to come here personally and not to send his people to talk to us. We need assurance,” said one trader.
The market is popular with vegetables.
The traders managed to chase the county officials as police also stood a distance watching them block the road.
Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei said the protests had disrupted traffic flow.
“We have called all concerned parties to come for talks to solve this mess,” he said.
The county government has been moving traders from a number of markets to others as part of efforts to clean the mess created at the sites.
There have been complaints that the traders at Wakulima Market flock to the busy roads there to sell their produce hence blocking the routes.
Last week, the county officials managed to clear traders operating on the roadside at Karen Shopping Centre.
Sakaja has said he has involved all stakeholders in the process and his aim is to make the businesses run better even making traffic flow well.
“We have been holding talks on this issue for long and they know the truth. They must move out to enhance other operations,” said Sakaja.
The government has built a number of markets around the city to relocate those in crowded areas for better service delivery.
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