Gikomba Market is the largest open-air market in Kenya that has been known for its pocket-friendly prices for the sale of a variety of products.
Gikomba market is mainly known for the sale of Mitumba’s, as mainly known, which are second-hand clothes in Kenya. Mitumba Traders from Gikomba sell their products at throw-away prices while in most cases these products are high quality.
Most Mitumba traders along with your local location always get up early in the morning to Gikomba to get the clothes and other products they sell to you.
Here we will guide you on everything you need to know about Gikomba to ensure that you get an exciting first visit and give you higher bargaining power. You will definitely not seem to be a visitor to Gikomba with this guide.
Who Owns Gikomba Market
The vast land of Gikomba remains a mystery to most people wondering who owns this land. Furthermore, if you are looking to have a stall in this massive open-air market, you could be wondering where you will channel your stall rents.
Most people think that Gikomba land is owned by the government though this is not the truth. The Gikomba Fires have been believed to be done intentionally with the intent of forcing the traders out of the land with developers looking to benefit from a government’s proposed infrastructure.
A section of the Gikomba Land is believed to be owned by a nearby Pumwani Riyadh Mosque located a few metres away from the massive market. The Mitumba traders in this section of the Gikomba land usually pay their rent to the mosque.
The Best Day to Go to Gikomba Market
Though the Gikomba market is usually open on all days in the week, there are specific days which are best where you can get the best products and also a range of products at a very friendly price.
There are some days in Gikomba where old stocks are sold while there are specific days which sell new stock referred to as Camera.
In most cases, Tuesday and Friday are the best days to go to Gikomba Market. These days, there is always new stock on release making them the most preferred days by most customers. During these 2 days, you will find most traders opening their new stock bales hence you expect to receive the best clothes among other products.
There are some traders who receive their stocks on different days and hence the most preferred days could be dependent on the store you are purchasing your Mitumba products. To ensure you get the best, you can ask your seller or store owner the days they open their new stock to ensure you are there when the stock is still new.
Saturdays are also busier than most days in consideration that most people are not in their working places and hence have time to visit this market. A number of traders do provide quality products on this day as well hence also making it a preferable day to go to Gikomba.
Sundays, on the other hand, are a good day to find products at the cheapest prices. As a matter of fact, you can find products as low as KES 10. Most stock sold on Sundays is usually the remainder of stocks from Saturday bales.
This is the reason why they are much cheaper than any other day. The only issue with Sunday is that you will have a reduced variety to choose from putting into consideration that most traders do not open their stores.
After you plan to go to Gikomba, you can choose to go early in the morning especially if you are looking for bulk products to sell. Most traders seeking stock go as early as 5am when the new bales are being opened hence one gets the most quality products known as Camera. People who come later in the day get other products after the early birds have chosen their stock.
The Cost of a Bale of Mitumba at Gikomba
The average cost of a bale of mitumba in Gikomba ranges from KES 8,000 to KES 50,000. The cost is dependent on the quality of clothes inside the bale with the most quality clothes costing close to 50,000. In addition to this, there are different sizes of bales with the large bales being much expensive than smaller bales.
Kindly liaise with your supplier to know what to expect from each bale as they know what is in the bale. In each bale, you can expect the number of clothes you can find in the bale hence with an average selling price, you can determine what could be your profit. Always ensure you make profits as you sell the clothes.
Where to Board A Matatu to Gikomba
Gikomba is not far from Nairobi CBD. Actually, you can actually walk to the market in less than 30 minutes through Kamukunji Area.
Nevertheless, you there are matatus you can board to the market located at Ladhies Road. The matatus are located after the stretch crossing from OTC while on the way to the roundabout coming from Haile Selassie road.
From this stage, you can board either a matatu or a TukTuk with just a fare of KES 50. The matatus will drop you near the mosque area after which you can now get to the Gikomba market. If you feel unconfident on getting to the market, just ask the driver to direct you easily though it is well visible from the dropping stage.
