By Andrew Kariuki
The Environment and Land Court at Milimani has issued orders preserving the current status of land linked to Gikomba Market pending the hearing of a case filed by traders challenging a planned demolition.
In directions issued on March 4, 2026, Lady Justice L.G. Kimani certified the matter as urgent after considering a Notice of Motion dated March 3, 2026.
The case, filed as ELC Petition No. E012 of 2026, was brought by Paul Karanja Kamunge, Justus Kinyua and three others against Nairobi City County and the Water Resources Authority, among other respondents.
In the directions, the court ordered that the application be served immediately on the respondents ahead of an inter partes hearing scheduled for March 10, 2026.
“The application is hereby certified as urgent,” the court directed.
Justice Kimani further ordered the respondents to file and serve their responses within two days of being served, while the petitioners were granted leave to file a supplementary affidavit within two days after receiving the respondents’ responses.
The court also directed that the current status quo on the disputed land be maintained until the matter is heard.
“The current status quo on the suit land be maintained,” the court ordered.
The case arises from a dispute concerning land associated with Gikomba Market, one of Nairobi’s largest open-air markets that supports thousands of traders and informal businesses.
Meanwhile, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino claimed credit for moving to court to stop the demolition through his legal team.
In a statement posted on social media, Owino said;
“Through our legal team, we moved to court to stop the demolition of Gikomba Market, and the Court has issued orders to stop the demolition.”
He further described Gikomba as an important economic hub for thousands of traders
“Gikomba is not just a marketplace. It is the heartbeat of thousands of families, small traders, and hardworking Kenyans who depend on it every single day,” Owino said.
He also urged all parties to comply with the court’s orders as the legal process continues.
“As we comply fully with the Court’s directions, we call on all parties to respect the orders issued and allow due process to take its course,” he added.
The matter is expected to be mentioned before the Environment and Land Court on March 10, 2026, when the court will hear arguments from both sides regarding the dispute over the land.
