“They Asked Me to Help”: President Ruto Defends Gikomba Demolitions as Modernization Move

President William Ruto has broken his silence on the controversial midnight demolitions at Gikomba Market, claiming that the traders themselves petitioned him to intervene. Speaking during a Maendeleo ya Wanawake meeting at State House on April 1, 2026, the President pushed back against the mounting public backlash, insisting that the move was a direct response to the dire conditions at the market.

According to the President, Gikomba leaders visited him at State House to lament the “mud, sewage, and endless fires” that have plagued the market for decades. Ruto stated that the demolitions are the first step in a multi-billion-shilling transformation aimed at giving “Mama Mboga” and small-scale traders a dignified working environment.

“The traders themselves have an agreement with me,” Ruto declared. “They told me Gikomba is a place of mud… they asked me to help them, and I promised I would rebuild it.”

The President revealed that the government has allocated an initial Sh800 million for a linear market to accommodate 5,000 traders, with the total project cost expected to reach Sh5 billion for a seven-storey modern complex.

The President issued a stern warning to opposition leaders—including Kalonzo Musyoka and the recently impeached Rigathi Gachagua—who have condemned the move as “inhumane.” Ruto accused his detractors of using the Gikomba issue to stir up ethnic emotions and seek “cheap publicity.”

He maintained that the project follows the successful model of 500 other markets built under the Affordable Housing Project (AHP) and urged politicians to stay out of Gikomba’s development. “I want to tell those people, take your tribalism elsewhere. Leave Gikomba traders alone,” he added.

While many traders were left counting losses after the overnight operation, Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga clarified that the structures removed were within the 30-meter riparian buffer zone of the Nairobi River. The government insists that the relocation is being done in phases and that alternative trading spaces have been provided.

However, the reality on the ground remains tense. While some trader representatives, such as chairperson Judith Nyangi, confirmed that sensitization forums were held and notices given, many individual traders claim they were not prepared for the speed and timing of the midnight flattening of their stalls.