Thursday, 7 August 2014

WAKULIMA MARKET - Nairobi's Fresh Produce Market


Fresh produce market is a serious place of business.  More specifically, the term fresh produce often implies that the products are garden-fresh and generally in the same state as where they were harvested.  Vendors at the market offer a variety of farm produce immediately they get harvested from the farm. 

Nairobi's Wakulima market is the largest fresh produce market in Nairobi.  The market is mostly frequented by bulk buyers who operate grocery stores around the city.  As much as most of the produce at the market comes from Kenyan farmers, there is also a great number that comes from Uganda and Tanzania, such as water melons and potatoes.  Tanzania also does most of other supplies during the dry season when produce from kenya is low

Location of Wakulima Market
The market is located along Haile Selassie Avenue, just before the Landhies Road/Ring Road round about.  For people using private means, there is parking along the streets around Wakulima House, though this may not be the safest street to park due to car part thefts.  The area is also a preferred parking for suppliers to the market.

As part of decongesting the central business district, there are plans by the Nairobi County to relocate the market to Eastlands near the junction of Kangundo Road and Outer Ring Road.  The new location is believed to have a larger holding capacity with a much larger piece of land that will be able to promote agribusiness in the region.

Prices at Wakulima Market
One may not believe it but most Nairobians pay more than the actual cost for most fresh produce products.  That makes it insane that the demand from city residents for overpriced products still remains healthy. For that matter Wakulima market has friendly prices and could be offering better value than your mama mboga. Therefore you now know where to shop for groceries and fresh produce at a reasonable price. 
 
While at the market, as a consumer/end user it is advisable to look out for traders who have broken down their produce into retail quantity as they tend to offer better prices to smaller buyers. 

The Best Time to go for Shopping
It is advisable to go for shopping at the market at around 12 noon on Monday's to Saturdays, or between 11 am and 12 noon on Sunday. The market is closed for cleaning at 1 pm Monday to Saturdays and 12 noon on Sunday.

Going for shopping at the market during the last opening hour could be of great advantage as one can easily get discounts when not buying in bulk as traders look forward to making closing sales.  The market still operates for a couple of hours after the gates are closed.

Challenges that a Shopper may Face while at the Market
However, shopping at Wakulima market is not for the faint hearted. There are many traders and a number of trucks and handcarts doing supplies.  Also the market is usually quite muddy despite the cleaning, more especially when it rains

While at the market be watchful of the potters along the narrow paths.  There are those shoppers who buy in bulk and therefore the bulky sacks are carried by potters on the shoulders, and in a fast pace they will at times hiss for you to jump out of their paths, but often you only notice them when your shoulders collide and you will agree with me that it’s quite a painful ordeal.  One may feel as if they are in the wrong place because if not careful, it is easy to even lose balance as they seek for space to pass.

It is advisable to dress appropriately so as not to become a target for the exploitation from the sellers through higher prices and the huge number of potters, who even offer to carry empty bags for you, at a fee.

All in all despite the challenges you may face while at the market, be sure that once you are done shopping you will enjoy your fresh produce, fresh squeezed fruit and sprouts and Wakulima market to you will be one of the exciting places to get your fresh produce..

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