Traders at Toi Market in Kibra, Nairobi are confident that perennial fires like the recent one that claimed four lives in July will be a thing of the past as they went to polls on Wednesday.
The exercise was peaceful despite an attempt by goons to disrupt it earlier in the day.
Some of the traders who spoke to the Star were excited as they expressed their confidence that the new leaders would be able to address issues affecting them.
"My name is Miriam. I am hoping that the new leaders we are going to elect will handle the fire issue because we have suffered each year. We are struggling to pay the loans we took to advance our business because the fire incidences keep occurring, " one of the traders stated.
"We have been unable to get answers on what exactly causes the fires that we have been experiencing. I have been affected four times and it's time these tragedies come to an end, " another trader said.
The chairmanship position has attracted three candidates including Francis Ndege, Stanley Kibisu and Rashid Issa. Votes were being counted at the time of going to press.
In August, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja announced plans to build a wall at the market in a bid to address the insecurity challenge at the market.
He further said city council askaris will be providing security at the market.
He also said City Hall would work to ensure the revocation of fake titles following concerns over repeated market fires blamed on grabbers.
The city chief said City Hall had set aside Sh100 million to help with the reconstruction of the market.
Sakaja pledged decisive action to support the recovery of the market following a devastating fire that tore through the market on August 3.
The construction of the perimeter wall and the market was set to begin immediately in what Sakaja said was a journey back to normalcy.
The inferno on August 3 killed four people who perished while trying to salvage their stock.
The fire impacted over 2,000 traders.
