Divisi
Wakulima Market
Wholesale · Nairobi, Kenya · also called Marikiti, Marigiti, Nairobi Wholesale Market
Kenya's main wholesale fresh-produce market. Lorries arrive overnight from the central highlands and the Rift Valley, and the day's trade sets the tone for what Nairobi's retailers pay. Much of the business goes through brokers rather than grower to buyer, which is worth knowing before you arrive with a load and no arrangement.
In season here in September: Irish potato · Cabbage · Onion · Maize · Common bean · Carrot
What trades at Wakulima Market
| Crop | Sold by | Supply peaks |
|---|---|---|
 Tomato |
crate | January to February, July to August |
 Irish potato |
50 kg bag | March to April, September to October |
 Cabbage |
head | March to April, September to October |
| Onion | net bag | February to March, August to September |
 Maize |
90 kg bag | August to October |
 Banana & plantain |
bunch | — |
 Common bean |
90 kg bag | August to September |
 Rape / covo / kale |
bunch | — |
 Carrot |
net bag | March to April, September to October |
Selling by the bucket or the bag? The farming glossary turns those measures into kilograms — what a 20 litre bucket of each crop really weighs, level and heaped. Open the glossary →
Selling here
- Trading days
- Every day
- Currency
- KES
- Trading since
- 1966
Trading starts before dawn; the wholesale buying is done early.
Trade is in Kenyan shillings, cash or M-Pesa. Agree which before you unload — a buyer who wants to pay by phone and a seller who wants notes is the argument that holds up a sale.
Growers sell in bulk to traders who break the load down and resell. The best price for a full load, and the longest trip.
On Haile Selassie Avenue, just before the Country Bus Station coming from the city centre.
Places that could sell into Wakulima Market
-
Kamukunji · 4 km
-
Makadara · 4 km
-
Starehe · 4 km
-
Kibra · 6 km
-
Mathare · 6 km
-
Kilimani · 7 km
-
Westlands · 7 km
-
Roysambu · 7 km
The story of Wakulima Market
Wakulima — Kiswahili for 'farmers' — was built in 1966 to feed a Nairobi that was still a small city. It outgrew that brief long ago, and the name outgrew the building: 'marikiti', a Kiswahili rendering of the English 'market', now means a fresh-produce market anywhere in Kenya, because this was the one people meant.
Wakulima Market prices, and what to grow for it
Prices here move hour to hour, so they belong in the app rather than on a web page — a printed number would be wrong before you read it, and a live one from the traders standing in this market will not be.
Market prices are coming to the Divisi app — reported by the farmers and traders who are actually on the floor. Divisi also plans the season on your own field: what to plant, when to plant it, and what to do each week. Free for farmers, works offline.
Frequently asked questions
What is sold at Wakulima Market?
Wakulima Market trades tomato, irish potato, cabbage, onion, maize, banana & plantain, common bean, rape / covo / kale, carrot. Kenya's main wholesale fresh-produce market. Lorries arrive overnight from the central highlands and the Rift Valley, and the day's trade sets the tone for what Nairobi's retailers pay. Much of the business goes through brokers rather than grower to buyer, which is worth knowing before you arrive with a load and no arrangement.
When is tomato cheapest at Wakulima Market?
Supply of tomato into Wakulima Market peaks January to February, July to August, and that is when prices are usually at their lowest. Selling just before the peak, rather than in the middle of it, is where the money is.
What currency is used at Wakulima Market?
KES. Trade is in Kenyan shillings, cash or M-Pesa. Agree which before you unload — a buyer who wants to pay by phone and a seller who wants notes is the argument that holds up a sale.
What time does Wakulima Market open?
Every day. Trading starts before dawn; the wholesale buying is done early.
What are today's prices at Wakulima Market?
Divisi does not publish daily prices for Wakulima Market — they move hour to hour, and a number printed on a web page would be wrong before you read it. Market prices are coming to the Divisi app, reported by the farmers and traders who are actually there. Install it and you will have them the day they land.