NAIROBI, Kenya – A year after Nairobi County awarded a Sh59.9 million contract to build a fire station at Gikomba Market, no construction has taken place—yet nearly half of the funds have already been paid.
An audit report by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has raised red flags over the project’s stalled progress and financial irregularities, leaving traders at East and Central Africa’s largest secondhand goods market vulnerable to frequent and devastating fires.
According to the Auditor General’s 2023-2024 financial report, the county government disbursed Sh30,024,578 to the contractor, but there is no technical report verifying what—if anything—has been done.
The contract period has lapsed, yet there is no evidence of completed construction.
“The inspection and acceptance certificate dated 28 June 2024 for Sh30,024,578 was not supported with a technical report that detailed the work completed, including the remaining works, which would allow for a comparison against the contract completion period,” Gathungu said.
Without this verification, she warned, it is impossible to determine whether public funds were spent appropriately.
Beyond the lack of progress, the audit also flagged irregularities in the tendering process.
The same five-member committee responsible for opening the tender also evaluated it—violating procurement rules that require an independent evaluation team.
“The tender opening committee was comprised of five members; the same members also served on the tender evaluation committee, which is against the law that requires the procuring authority to establish an ad hoc tender evaluation committee,” Gathungu noted.
These findings have only deepened concerns over accountability in a project that was supposed to enhance fire preparedness in a market notorious for destructive blazes.
Gikomba traders have long suffered from fires that erupt under unclear circumstances, destroying property worth millions.
The fire station was meant to address this crisis, but the lack of progress has left them frustrated.
Some traders had initially opposed the project, fearing it would lead to the demolition of their stalls.
Officials had assured them that only a 100-by-100-square-foot area would be used, but with no visible work at the site, uncertainty remains over whether they will eventually be displaced.
For now, the unanswered questions pile up: Where is the fire station? Where did the money go? And why has no one been held accountable?
Meanwhile, traders remain at the mercy of yet another fire disaster.
