Kenya has kicked off construction of a US $5.5million modern market in Nakuru County aimed at boosting agriculture in the region and decongesting the Central Business District.
The project is located at the Old Fire station in Bondeni Estate within Nakuru East Sub-county. The five-storey complex is set to complement Nakuru’s Top Market and Wakulima markets which are located within the Central Business District a kilometer away and the US $436,000 market still under construction at London trading centre, within Nakuru West Sub-County.
The building will be able to handle at least 150 tonnes of fresh produce. It will be fitted with sections to cater for textiles, cereals and jua kali sheds and will serve at least 100,000 residents, 6,500 of them being farmers from surrounding areas.
Access to major producers
Upon completion, it will be the largest in the County, and will also serve as a wholesale source for bananas, mangoes, avocadoes, potatoes, passion fruits, water melons, sukuma wiki and cabbages which are produced in neighbouring Sub-Counties.
The markets under construction were strategically located for easy access by farmers from Rongai, Bahati, Njoro, Molo and Subukia Sub-Counties which are major producers of vegetables, fruits, cereals, poultry products, meat and milk.
Once complete, Nakuru Municipal Board Manager Gitau Thabanja affirmed that a joint committee will be set up to come up with a list of traders who will be allocated spaces as well as establish the mechanism by which traders will be selected and how the market will be operated.
