Gikomba in Ruins: Kagure, Leaders Tear into Sakaja as Traders Count Cost of Night Demolitions
Nairobi — At first light on Tuesday, March 31, the familiar hum of trade at Gikomba Market was replaced by a grim stillness. Twisted iron sheets, splintered timber, and scattered merchandise told the story of an overnight operation that left hundreds of traders devastated.
The demolitions, carried out under the cover of darkness, flattened sections of the bustling market—one of the city’s most vital informal trading hubs—leaving livelihoods in tatters and families in distress.
As traders sifted through debris, anger quickly spilled into the political arena.
Businesswoman and 2027 gubernatorial hopeful Agnes Kagure launched a scathing attack on Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, accusing him of abandoning the very people he was elected to serve.
In a sharply worded statement, Kagure painted a picture of leadership in absentia—contrasting the traders’ anguish with what she described as the governor’s evasiveness.
“While traders at Gikomba were losing their livelihoods overnight, the governor was nowhere to be found—reportedly in hiding after snubbing Senate summons over corruption concerns,” she said.
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Kagure did not mince words, framing the moment as emblematic of a deeper leadership crisis in the capital.
“A city cannot function when its leader disappears at the very moment people need protection. Nairobi deserves leadership that shows up, not one that hides.”
Her remarks strike at the heart of a growing narrative ahead of the 2027 race: the question of visibility, accountability, and presence in moments of crisis.
But she was not alone.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino went further, alleging that the political drama unfolding at City Hall was not just ill-timed—but orchestrated.
According to Owino, the attempted arrest of Sakaja on Monday night was less about law enforcement and more about distraction.
“Yesterday’s drama at City Hall was painful to watch—not because it was real, but because it was staged,” he claimed. “The police showing up pretending to arrest the governor was a script to divert attention.”
Owino suggested a coordinated smokescreen—one that kept public attention fixed on City Hall theatrics while bulldozers rolled through Gikomba under the radar.
“While all this was happening, demolitions continued quietly,” he added.
The Nairobi County government has yet to issue a comprehensive explanation for the operation, including whether adequate notice was given to traders or what plans exist for their resettlement.
For now, the debris at Gikomba stands as both a physical and political flashpoint—where questions of governance, accountability, and human cost converge.
As Nairobi’s informal economy absorbs yet another shock, one question lingers in the dust: who stands with the city’s most vulnerable when the bulldozers come?