The Environment and Land Court at Milimani has ordered the preservation of the current status of land associated with Gikomba Market after traders moved to court to challenge a planned demolition.
In directions issued on March 4, 2026, Lady Justice L.G. Kimani certified the application as urgent after reviewing a Notice of Motion dated March 3, 2026.
The petition, filed as ELC Petition No. E012 of 2026, was lodged by Paul Karanja Kamunge, Justus Kinyua and three others against Nairobi City County and the Water Resources Authority, among other respondents.
In the directions issued by the court, the petitioners were ordered to serve the application immediately on the respondents ahead of an inter partes hearing scheduled for March 10, 2026.
“The application is hereby certified as urgent,” the court stated in its directions.
Justice Kimani further directed the respondents to file and serve their responses within two days of service, while granting the petitioners leave to file a supplementary affidavit within two days after receiving the respondents’ responses.
The court also ordered that the status quo on the disputed land be maintained pending the hearing of the application.
“The current status quo on the suit land be maintained,” the court ordered.
The dispute revolves around land linked to Gikomba Market, one of Nairobi’s largest open-air markets that supports thousands of small-scale traders and informal businesses.
Meanwhile, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino claimed that his legal team had moved to court to halt the planned demolition.
“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.”Owino said in a statement posted on his social media,
He described the market as a key economic lifeline for many Kenyans.
“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.
The legislator also urged all parties to respect the court’s orders as the legal process unfolds.
“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 scheduled to be heard on March 10, 2026, when the Environment and Land Court will consider arguments from both sides regarding the dispute over the land.
