PS Omollo gives progress status of South B modern market

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Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has given an update on the construction of the South B Modern Market in Nairobi’s Starehe Constituency.

PS Omollo described the project as a key investment in modern urban infrastructure aimed at supporting trade, dignity of work and orderly city growth.

Speaking on the project, Omollo said Nairobi requires infrastructure that matches its rapid transformation into a vibrant and inclusive urban economy.

He noted that the South B Market is being implemented under the State Department for Housing and Urban Development as part of broader efforts to modernise trading spaces in the capital.

The market is being developed as a multi-storey facility designed to accommodate 1,050 traders.

According to Omollo, the ground floor will host grocery vendors, the first floor will be reserved for mtumba traders, while upper stall levels will provide additional trading space. The top floor will house restaurants, positioning the market as a commercial hub capable of operating around the clock.

Beyond its physical structure, Omollo said the project is already delivering tangible socio-economic benefits. Construction is ongoing on a 24-hour basis, with 53 workers engaged during the day and 81 at night, many of them youth and women.

He added that current casting works have expanded the onsite workforce to about 450 people, including supervisors.

“This continuous activity is creating direct employment and stimulating opportunities across the building and construction value chain, positively impacting city dwellers even before the market opens its doors,” PS Omollo said.

The South B Market is part of a Sh750 million national government programme to construct modern markets in Nairobi’s Starehe and Kasarani constituencies.

The initiative is aligned with the Kenya Kwanza administration’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which prioritises structured, dignified trading spaces for small and medium-scale traders.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the market was officiated early in 2025 by Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome, who directed contractors to complete the market within one year, warning that no extension of the schedule would be entertained.

Historically, traders in South B and surrounding areas have operated along busy road corridors, raising concerns over safety, congestion and sanitation. The new market is expected to formalise trade, improve hygiene standards and enhance urban order once completed.

Government officials have previously indicated that the facility is intended to serve both traders and consumers by offering a secure, well-planned environment while boosting Nairobi City County’s local economic activity.

As construction progresses, stakeholders are hopeful the South B Modern Market will ease pressure on informal trading spaces and contribute to the capital’s broader urban renewal agenda.