David Ndii, the Chairperson of the Presidential Council of Economic Advisors, has hit out at Nairobi Governor Johson Sakaja over a crackdown on smokie vendors in the Nairobi CBD.
In a statement, Ndii poked holes at Sakaja’s approach of moving hawkers to markets arguing that the streets were more favorable due to presence of customers.
“The Nairobi County leadership is not hustler friendly. His plan was to put hustlers in markets. Street vendors are on the streets because that is where customers are,” Ndii stated.
“Most of CBD needs to be pedestrianized and made street life friendly. Street parking for private cars should be eliminated and replaced with silos. Office blocks should be repurposed into commercial, hotel and residential.”
Ndii was reacting to photos widely shared on social media showing several trolleys rounded up after a mid-morning crackdown.
Kanjo’s Raid Vendors
Earlier on Wednesday, Nairobi County askaris impounded tens of trolleys used by smokie vendors in the Nairobi Central Business District.
The county askaris loaded the trolleys on trucks and other county vehicles leaving the vendors counting losses.
Some of the smokies and other foodstuffs sold in the city were left scattered on the streets amid the confiscation of the trolleys.
Later, the trolleys were taken to the County Government’s offices in Nairobi CBD.
The reason for confiscation was not yet revealed as some traders narrated how the raid caught them by surprise.
In their reactions, Kenyans on various social media platforms condemned the manner in which the askaris, popularly known as kanjos, effected the raid with some accusing them of being inhumane.
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“My friends wa kanjo, if it is a must to arrest these people, please do it in a humane way. Protect whatever businesses, big or small. Their families depend on that for survival,” a Facebook user named Ndugu Nyoro stated.
In addition, some Kenyans criticized the Governor Johnson Sakaja-led county government over what they called a contradiction of its promise to protect small-scale traders.
“You advocate for a feeding program while on the other hand you are destroying food,” an X user commented- referring to the school feeding program championed by Governor Sakaja.
Nonetheless, the Nairobi County Government was yet to issue an official statement during press time.
Smokie Vendor Narrates the Experience in Nairobi CBD
A vendor who spoke to The Kenya Times intimated that smokie vendors usually run the risk of operating within the Nairobi CBD especially in the hours before 1 pm.
According to the smokie vendor, whose name is reserved, the vendors are allowed to operate in the CBD between 1pm and until late in the night.
However, the county law enforcers conducted two raids on Wednesday that led to confiscation of the trolleys.
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Further, the vendor revealed that once impounded, the owners are forced to pay fines of up to Ksh5,000 to have them released.
But the conflict between street vendors operating in the CBD and county askaris is not new.
For years, vendors have complained of constant harassment from the enforcers who conduct frequent crackdowns to drive them out.
Appearing in a vernacular TV station in September, Governor Johnson Sakaja vowed to protect the small-scale traders affirming that his government was elected on the promise of promoting all jobs.
