Traders count losses as fire erupts in Gikomba market

Traders count losses as the Gikomba market is hit by another fire barely two months later.

A major fire broke out early Sunday morning in the footwear section of Gikomba Market, near Lamu Road in Majengo, Pumwani.

Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan confirmed the incident, noting that firefighters, assisted by local volunteers, managed to contain the blaze.

Preliminary reports indicate that there were no casualties or injuries linked to the fire.

“A massive fire erupted in the footwear section of Gikomba Market, adjacent to Lamu Road in Majengo in Pumwani at around 3 am. The county fire engine has arrived, and firefighters and local volunteers are battling to squash the inferno,” Yusuf said.

This latest incident comes barely two months after a similar fire occurred in the market on April 1, 2025.

That fire, which started around 3 am in the ‘Kwa Mbao’ area near the Gikomba fire station, destroyed at least 500 businesses and spread to part of a nearby bus station.

Traders at the time suspected a faulty power connection to be the cause. No injuries were reported in that incident.

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Earlier, on March 1, 2024, another fire struck the same ‘Kwa Mbao’ section, destroying property of unknown value.

Gikomba Market, East Africa’s largest open-air market, has a long history of recurring fires.

Unpredictable blazes have hit the market in 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024, leaving traders with heavy losses and few answers.

Traders now find themselves once again counting losses and calling for long-term solutions to prevent future tragedies.