Walking along Juja Road within the poorly lit streets of Mlango Kubwa and Karambee, one is greeted by a beehive of activities as people move helter skelter looking for their daily bread.
There are those who are selling cooked food in numerous nylon-thatched stands, some selling fruits, some vegetables, some selling the famous mahindi choma and some just sitting by.
Children are seen running here and there with some picking this and that from the nearby dumping site along the road.
After seeing all this, it emerges that buying foodstuffs from this place is a clear ticket of booking an appointment with a doctor.
This is because the foodstuffs are sold in the most unhygienic conditions that would clearly lead to the outbreak of epidemics such as diarrhea.
There are heaps of garbage all over and open sewage flowing in almost every part. There is also a pungent smell that rents the air immediately one sets foot in the area.
These two open markets along Juja Road mirrors the majority of open air markets within Nairobi that pose a health hazard to both the users and those who go there to purchase goods.
Most markets have been turned into dumping sites with the County Government of Nairobi blaming the cartels for the garbage collection failure.
“What can we do? We need to sell food and people need to buy food. The sewage and the garbage is none of our business,” said one of the ladies selling boiled maize at Karambee Stage along Juja Road.
Sometimes the sewage overflows up to the main road especially when it rains. The speeding cars often splash the sewage to the foods being sold along the road and even to passersby.
The drainage system in this part of Nairobi is really bad and the residents are calling on the County Government of Nairobi to come to their rescue.
Article by Juma Fred.