In a dramatic move shaking the capital’s economic and land governance landscape, President William Ruto has directed that a definitive title deed for Nairobi’s renowned Gikomba Market must be processed and issued within 90 days, aiming to decisively end decades of ownership ambiguity that has fuelled rampant land grabbing and illicit claims.
The unprecedented presidential directive was issued on Tuesday during a meeting with Gikomba market leaders at State House, Nairobi, and marks a significant intervention in a long-running dispute that has unsettled traders and investors alike.
The President specifically instructed Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome and Principal Secretary Nixon Korir to work directly with the National Land Commission (NLC) to fast-track the titling process for the sprawling market complex. Ruto emphasized that clear legal ownership—with the title deed registered in the name of Nairobi County—will “once and for all address speculation by land grabbers.”
Gikomba Market, East Africa’s largest second-hand goods hub and a critical node in Nairobi’s commercial ecosystem, has been mired in conflicting claims of ownership and frequent threats of illegal occupation. The absence of a formal title has long been cited by traders as a source of vulnerability to exploitation and unlawful encroachment by private interests and cartels seeking to capitalize on unclear land status.
In addition to the urgent titling order, President Ruto announced that phase three of the Gikomba Market redevelopment will proceed following the completion of phase two, signaling continued government support for market modernization. The plan aligns with a broader national agenda to upgrade hundreds of local markets nationwide, improve working conditions for traders, and boost economic productivity.
The president also used the occasion to reaffirm cooperation with the Nairobi County government on waste management, power access, and urban infrastructure challenges affecting markets across the city, underscoring an integrated approach to solving longstanding service delivery and land governance issues.
The 90-day ultimatum establishes a strict timeline that market stakeholders and public land governance institutions will be measured against, touching on broader concerns over land titling integrity and the persistent impacts of land grabbing in Kenya’s urban centers.
Officials in the Ministry of Lands and the NLC have not yet publicly outlined the procedural steps that will guide the expedited title issuance, raising questions over how the accelerated process will balance legal due diligence with the tight deadline. The directive, however, has been met with cautious optimism among market traders who have long sought clear land rights as a foundation for security and future investment.
Besides the immediate titling order, President Ruto declared that the Gikomba Market redevelopment phase three shall commence after the second phase is completed; thus, the government’s support for the market modernization continues. The development project is part of a national strategy that has already planned to modernize hundreds of local markets in the whole country, improve the traders’ working conditions, and increase the economic output.
Moreover, the President took this opportunity to a) reaffirm the collaboration in waste management, power and urban infrastructure, and other challenges affecting the markets in Nairobi city that are shared with the city government, and b) highlight the availability of a holistic approach to tackling the issues of service delivery and land governance that have existed for a long time.
The three-month deadline sets up a rigid monitoring timeline for market players and public land governance institutions, and brings to the fore the already raised issues such as land titling integrity, and the continuous land grabbing in urban areas of Kenya.
It was not until this time that the Ministry of Lands and the NLC officials gave any public hints of the step-by-step procedural measures that will make the fast-tracking of title issuance possible. This silence has led to the questioning of how the swifter process will operate in terms of legal diligence and the tight deadline.
Nevertheless, the traders at the market have received the directive with cautious optimism because they have been the ones who have been fighting for the land rights that would guarantee security and attract future investment.
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