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SITE ANALYSIS: LOCATION

ANALYSIS
ELDAS MARKET
Eldas Market is located at the heart of Wajir. It's area
is approximately 10 acres. The area is a major social
gathering place where
people meet to carry out functions such as trading,
political meetings and so on. It is strategically placed
becuse it is at the point
where all the major roads leading to Nairobi,Marsabit and
Somalia are located. Its major function is the market
where traders meet to
sell livestock, agricultural products and building
material. The market is poor in terms of infrastructure,
there is no structure that is large
enough to accomodate all the activities. The traders
therefore, carry out their business in open air under the
scorching sun. The trade
is highly influenced by the weather; it only takes place
in the early morning and evening. The minimal number of
trees make the
situation only slightly better.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Upon gaining independence in 1963, many Kenyan communities
got back to their old
activities or assimilated new ones that they had borrowed
from the colonialists. All this
was in the aim of creating a livelihood for their
sustainance. The colonialists introduced
the use of monetary currencies for trade, getting rid of
the traditional barter trade.
Everything was controlled by money. Even the
traditionalists had to adapt to this new
way so as to survive.
Residents of Wajir needed a place where they could meet
and sell their goods. Most of
them were trading livestock and their products that
included camels, goats, goat and
camel milk. With the gaining of independence, the growth
of their families was not
limited, furthermore the country was safe enough for
people to support and maintain
families. The growth of families translated to the growth
of homesteads, they would
therfore need construction materials. The construction
materials included thatches, mats,
vines, ropes and sticks. All these things led to the need
for trading and more importantly a
market.
The road networks in Wajir led to the sprucing up of an
open space smack in the middle
of Wajir. This open space provided convenient and
sufficient grounds for the set up of an
open aur market. The location was convenient as it was
centrally placed and close to
the major roads.
The area is however devoid of trees therefore the
scorching sun limits the trading hours.
Trading is only limuted to about 6 hours in a day. This
slows down trade and commercial
development of the traders and the town as a whole.
The central government set up a market in 2004 but the
size of the structure could not
house all the traders thus the traders did not move into
it. The generic design of the
market does not appeal to the traders as it is meant for
grocery trade. With the new
constitution, central governments were set up in each
county to govern their activities.
The central government has seen the need to set up a
market that works for its locals
The central government of Wajir is in the process of
building a larger market than can
facilitate the trading activities of the locals. It has
issued out tenders to do so. The
government understands that trading forms the backbone of
the Wajir economy. The
growth of the economy will open doors to the setting up of
different facilities and
development of the county's infrastructure. It will open
up the county to other counties
and countries in terms of trade.
KEY
Existing Market and
proposed site
PROPOSED SITE; ELDAS MARKET
Themarket site is located at the existing market. A
stimulus project was started by the government where it
built a market (figure 4). However the market failed to
pick off in terms of activity because the residents
feel like it is not part of the existing market. Moreover,
they do not wish to pay for market space as it is with
the stimulus market. The site is serviced by many roads
that move about and around it, making it
convenient for vehicular traffic to trandport goods to and
from the market. The site furthermore, is wide
and can allow the buildings to be placed having longer
north-south facades, this is a planning strategy
that will influence most window placements to be in the
North-South orientation as opposed to the East-
West orientation. The design should try to retain the
trees in existence on site. Any tree cut down should be
replaced with another on the site. More trees will be
added to improve the landscaping.
Challenges facing the market
The site experiences challenges that include:
1. Lack of a sewer system
2. Lack of a drainage system
3. Lack of a water supply system
4. Poor management
5. Pollution
6. Insecurity
7. Poor infrastructure
8. Revenue loss
9. Insecurity of tenure
10. Poor shelter
11. Lack of storage facilities
12. Poor management
13. Lack of expertise
14. Gender based space allocation
15. Favouritism
16. Social interference
17. Tribalism
18. No water supply
19. Loss of revenue
20. No security
21. Worn out buildings
22. Generic trade products
23. Heat problem
24. Polluted environments
25. Water shortages
26. No electricity
27. No shelter for animals
28. No washrooms
29. No garbage collection point
30. Lack of waste bins
31. Lack of tapped water
32. Heat barrier against trading
33. Pests
34. Foul smell from garbage
35. Improper structure
Pointer
Compass
The abandoned market that is designed for sale of
groceries
Trading in open air undeer the hot sun

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Fig. 1 Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 7 Fig. 6
KIBIRO GATHUNGU

PROJECT: REVITALISATION OF ELDAS MARKET -

WAJIR B02/36625/2010