Nairobi County government has given traders of the Kibera open air market 30 days to vacate the premises.
The market is wanted down so that there can be space for the construction of a multi storey market.
County Executive member for trade, industrialisation, cooperative development, tourism and wildlife, Alphonce Tokali said on Wednesday that when completed, the new market would boost revenue collection for the county.
Tokali called for cooperation by the traders operating in the area that he said had been allocated an alternative plot next to Ngong Road to carry on with their businesses.
Reacting to the ultimatum on Thursday, the traders vowed to resist any plan to move them out alleging that the new site could not accommodate all of them.
The traders’ committee chairman, Vincent Mwakio alleged the move was aimed at putting them out of business and that they would resist the plan to move them away. He said most of the traders were poor and could not raise funds to establish themselves at the new site.
Mwakio urged the county government to construct the new market elsewhere, noting that even when completed, the traders would not afford to hire stalls within.