Hours after Nairobi County’s law enforcers, better known as kanjos, confiscated trolleys used by smokie vendors in the Nairobi CBD, Kenyans expressed their rage with Governor Johnson Sakaja at the end of it.
Not even an apology from Governor Sakaja and a promise to compensate the vendors would calm the rage of Kenyans on social media platforms.
Some of the Kenyans commenting on the matter recommended changes in the county’s governance and organization structure.
For instance, former Presidential running mate Justina Wamae called out the county askaris over their conduct.
In a statement, the former Deputy Party Leader of the Roots Party argued that most of the Kanjos involved in the raid were elderly and faulted them for what she called impunity.
According to the statement, some acts of impunity are associated with the elder generations in public service.
As such, she argued that in the future the county should consider switching to digital solutions in handling matters relating to governance and law enforcement.
“Since we can’t fire them (humanitarian grounds), let natural attrition take place without rehiring others and instead we digitize and mechanize their roles,” Wamae noted.
“The future Kenya demands our innovation and constant change.”
Also Read: Graduate Smokie Vendor Speaks After Uproar Over Ksh1 Million Appeal
Reorganize Nairobi’s Street scape
On his part, David Ndii the Chairperson of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors called for a reorganization of the county’s landscape to accommodate a pedestrian-friendly environment.
Taking a cue from some of the world’s most developed cities, Ndii advocated for people centered streets in the city which could see motorists barred from the CBD.
In addition, the economist shared a past photo of Times Square in New York which showed massive traffic on the streets and compared it with a recent one with no motorized traffic.
In another photo, Ndii showed the streets of Buenos Aires City in Argentina where the street spaces were left for businesses and pedestrians to exploit.
“This is how cities are transforming their streets,”: Ndii noted.
Also Read: David Ndii Scolds Sakaja After Kanjo Raid on Smokie Vendors
“People centered streets draw more people, a win-win for everyone—shops, street vendors and the city which has more real estate to tax.”
Sakaja forced to apologize
Earlier in the day, Ndii had criticized Sakaja over the crackdown on informal traders.
He affirmed that traders choose to display their wares in the streets due to the availability of willing buyers as opposed to the markets proposed as the solutions for city hawkers.
On Wednesday, October 18, Sakaja issued an apology and pledged to pay affected vendors Ksh10,000 each.
However, his apology was met with criticism and labeled as a ‘PR stunt’ by some quarters.
