Nairobi draft law eyes private sector answer to hawkers

?Investors could soon be allowed to build and manage markets in Nairobi if a proposed law is passed.

The Nairobi City County Markets and Infrastructure Bill proposes to allow the private sector to construct markets on a build-and-operate model.

This is expected to relieve the county of the burden of creating business infrastructure as it grapples with an influx of hawkers in the city centre.

County Trade executive Alan Igambi says the bill will enhance service delivery to businesses and residents of Nairobi.

“The aim of the bill is to create well-managed and maintained markets. It’s to create service delivery to consumers and also to ensure public safety is up to standard,” he told Weekend Business.

Governor Mike Sonko has termed the bill, created in partnership with the Nairobi Chamber of Commerce, timely.

“The expectation is it will improve all informal markets which were meant to be formal and also stimulate effectiveness of micro and small enterprises,” he said.

“Hawkers will have a formal way of earning their living without breaking county laws,” Mr Sonko said.

The Nairobi chapter of the KNCCI said interviews with informal traders had shown they were willing to pay for good spaces of doing business.

“We want the private sector to bring in funds and expertise in building and managing clean markets where buyers will be comfortable to come,” said Nemasia Kiereni, the chief executive of the Nairobi Chapter.

Nairobi has been grappling with lack of space for small traders. Efforts to get hawkers out of the Central Business District have so far failed.

The traders complain that county officials harass them for conducting business on the streets but fail to give them alternative places to trade.

Nairobi has only 20 open-air markets and 23 large markets.

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