Githurai’s finest: Meet the resilient entrepreneurs driving the market

In Githurai, the day begins before sunrise. The early morning mist barely lifts before vendors start setting up their stalls; arranging goods on tables, wheelbarrows, or even just a clean piece of fabric laid on the ground.

The air is thick with the aroma of roasted maize, freshly cut fruits, dust, and diesel fumes from bodabodas weaving through narrow alleys.

Githurai is a vibrant, chaotic epicenter of Kenya’s informal economy. An area not defined by skyscrapers or offices, but by its resilient people: vendors, hawkers, riders, and artisans, each carving out a livelihood with grit and determination.

Among them is Josephine Nyaguthi, a gentle-voiced fruit vendor who has been selling oranges here for six years. Her story begins miles away, deep in Makueni County.

“I wake up at 3 a.m. to travel and pick oranges directly from the farms,” she explains. But it’s not easy. “When fuel prices go up, it becomes a challenge since oranges spoil quickly. If I don’t sell them, I lose money.”

Yet, Josephine persists. “This stall pays my child’s school fees, who is in Form Two, and keeps food on our table. Even when it’s tough, I tell myself: at least I am trying.”

A few steps away, Leah Wangari arranges jackets and trousers at her mitumba (secondhand) stall.

“People prefer mitumba because it’s affordable and good quality. You can buy a jacket for 150 shillings. I sell quickly and move on—no time to wait for big profits,” she says. Her customers include university students, boda riders, and small business owners from nearby areas.

“This mitumba stall has done more for me than any office job. It has helped me pay my children’s school fees, and now I’m saving to expand.”

On the edge of the open market, Rachael Waithera runs a stall selling beauty products. Bottles of lotion, nail polish, and lip gloss sit beside packets of weaves and hair bands.

“We need a proper market,” she laments. “The sun is too hot, and the market they built can’t accommodate all of us. We’re forced to squeeze, and many are left outside. When it rains, we get soaked.”

Despite the challenges, many traders find silver linings. “People come from Mwihoko, Githunguri, even Kasarani come here just to buy from us. They find our products affordable and friendly,” Rachael adds.

The answer, according to the traders in Githurai, lies in prices, accessibility, and variety.

“This is the only place you can buy four big tomatoes for ten shillings,” boasts a vegetable vendor. “In Kahawa Wendani, that would only get you one!”

Many customers, especially low-income earners, flock to Githurai to stretch their shillings further.

Bodaboda riders are another cornerstone of Githurai’s economy. They ferry goods, workers, and students through congested streets; especially in areas where vehicles can’t pass.

Many are youths who turned to this trade after struggling to find formal employment.

Despite its vibrancy, Githurai faces challenges. Traders cite insecurity, unpredictable weather, lack of proper stalls, and harassment by city askaris, and rising transport costs as daily obstacles.

“When you lose your goods to rain or city officials, it hurts,” says Josephine. “But we keep going.”