Gikomba Market upgrade, jobs and housing dominate Kamukunji Mashujaa Day celebrations

Residents attend Mashujaa Day celebrations at Kamukunji Technical and Vocational College in Nairobi on October 20, 2026. (Photo: Abdirahman Khalif)

Kamukunji residents have been assured of progress on local development projects, including the construction of the new Gikomba Market, with the second phase of the project set to begin next week.

Nairobi North Regional County Commissioner Simon Osumba announced the planned start during Mashujaa Day celebrations on Tuesday at Kamukunji Technical and Vocational College in Airbase Ward.

“We have a modern Gikomba market; next week phase two will start,” Osumba said.

The celebrations brought together police officers from Kamukunji Sub-County, the area Deputy County Commissioner, local chiefs, assistant chiefs, ward administrators and other sub-county leaders. Students from public and private schools also performed songs, dances and poems in honour of Kenya’s national heroes.

After reading President William Ruto’s national Mashujaa Day address, Osumba thanked residents for attending and urged them to take advantage of government programmes targeting employment, housing and healthcare.

He encouraged young people to apply for available jobs and urged residents to seek affordable housing. He also called on the community to participate in river-cleaning initiatives and register for the Social Health Authority (SHA) health insurance programme.

On security, Osumba raised concerns about incidents involving mobile phone snatchers and urged residents to work with security agencies to address the problem. He also called for collaboration with the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) to tackle drug abuse and the sale of illicit alcohol.

“We will collaborate with NACADA to fight drugs and illicit brews,” he told residents.

Mashujaa Day, marked every October 20, honours Kenyans who fought for independence and those whose contributions helped shape the nation. The day also recognises people who stood up for justice, equality and self-determination.

In his national address, read by Osumba, President Ruto defended his administration’s economic transformation agenda, saying it was designed to expand opportunities and ensure Kenyans benefit from national development.

Ruto said the value of Kenya’s stock market had grown from Sh2 trillion in 2022 to Sh4.2 trillion, while foreign direct investment had increased from $1.5 billion in 2022 to $3.2 billion in 2025.

He also said more than 10 million Kenyans were regular borrowers through the Hustler Fund, which had advanced Sh98 billion without collateral. The President announced plans to inject an additional Sh5 billion into the fund by the end of the year.

On agriculture, Ruto said the government had registered 8.9 million farmers and distributed more than 38 million bags of subsidised fertiliser. He added that maize production had risen from 34.3 million bags in 2022 to 71 million bags last year.

The President further said milk production had increased by one billion litres, while the price paid to dairy farmers had risen from Sh35 to Sh60 per litre. He announced that dairy farmers in Eldoret would earn Sh65 per litre from October, alongside a quarterly bonus of Sh2 per litre.

While the national address highlighted the government’s economic and agricultural priorities, the Kamukunji celebrations focused on local development, access to government services and the progress of projects such as the new Gikomba Market.