Tale of a grand past in a market

 By ERIC MUGENDI
Nairobi is more than 100 years old, and still has a number of iconic buildings that remind inhabitants and visitors of a more picturesque past. Among these is the City Market, built in 1930.

Its architecture is unique. The building has an ornate roof and is shaped like a hangar, making it look as though it belongs more at an airport than among the skyscrapers that define Nairobi’s skyline today.

Nevertheless, City Market is worth a visit for any one seeking a typical grocery shop in a less crowded part of the CBD. It is bordered to the north by Muindi Mbingu Street and to the south by Kenyatta Avenue, in an area once dominated by small shops owned by Asians, some of which still operate to this day. Like the City Market, many of the buildings in this area have retained some of their original architecture.

When visiting the City Market, one of the things that strikes you is the smell of roasting meat from the eateries adjacent to the market’s Muindi Mbingu Street entrance, and that of fresh flowers on the Koinange Street entrance.

The exterior of the building has been used historically for signage, and has a mural on the Biashara Street side depicting election malpractices and voting procedure during a general election.

The main building houses several shops including groceries, florists, butcheries and curios. Some of these shops date back to the 1940s.

Some butcheries operate from rented fridges in the flanks of the main building. The butcheries offer a variety of meat products, ranging from the more common beef and goat to the rarer pork and fish.

Arguably, the City Market is Nairobi’s main source of fish, with the shops stocking some rare species such as cod and mackerel, in addition to the more common tilapia and Nile perch. These are delivered to the market thrice a week in refrigerated trucks.

For some time, the City Market was the main retail outlet for fruits and vegetables in Nairobi. It was built close to the railway line, which ran along what is now Loita Street, and was, therefore, a convenient selling point. In the 1940s, the railway line was relocated, and it became cumbersome to transport the bulky fresh produce to the market.

The open air florists offer flowers for all occasions, with options such as pre-made bouquets and wreaths, as well as flower arrangements made to order. Flowers are also delivered in refrigerated trucks similar to those that deliver the fish. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see lines of white trucks on either side of the market dropping off produce for sale.

From the second storey of the building one can get a good glimpse of the curio stands. Some of the more remarkable pieces on sale include large animal replicas that are almost life-size. These lion, rhino, elephant and buffalo statues are made from hardwoods.

These take several months to carve, with the more detailed sculptures taking over a year. Like the curio shops, these sculptors attract mainly tourists, although traders say their numbers have reduced over the years.

They blame it on the emergence of malls around the city that often host the rotational Maasai Market, which also sells African crafts.

City Market also has several small restaurants known as “vibanda,” that serve all sorts of food, but the main offering is roast meat (nyama choma).

There are also currency changers operating from stalls within the market, which offers convenience for foreign tourists.