Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has banned hawking in Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) effective Thursday, October 26, 2023.
Speaking during a meeting with Nairobi County Inspectorate officers and CBD hawkers’ leadership at Charter Hall, Sakaja stated that the decision was made to restore sanity in the city.
Further, Sakaja stated he cared for the safety of hawkers on the streets of Nairobi adding that motorists also needed to move around freely.
“There will be no hawking in the streets, in fact we are enforcing it from tomorrow morning, even around the bus station, I won’t allow it,” Sakaja stated.
Moreover, the governor also noted that more vehicles will have parking spaces when his directive is fully implemented.
Sakaja Gives Specific Instructions for Moi Avenue
Also, the Nairobi boss stated that the first place the order will be affected is Moi Avenue.
He revealed that investors had issued billions of Kenyan shillings for the expansion of the road and other plans that he did not reveal in detail.
“We have said Moi Avenue will have no street business there. We will find another place because we have another plan for that road.
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“We received billions from investors and are going to expand that road to be walkable because I am not just taking care of Kenyans who are walking, those who own shops are also taxpayers,” he added.
Defending Kanjos from Harassment by the Public
Sakaja condemned cases of harassment against the county inspectorate officers commonly known as Kanjos by members of the public.
Additionally, he promised to take action against those found intimidating and harassing the officers.
“We have officers here who have been injured, some have been critically injured, some have been stoned. That cannot continue happening in Nairobi.
Also Read: Lady Who Locked Kanjo in Her Car Narrates Encounter
“The one thing I am not tolerating at all by any citizen is harming a county inspectorate officer in Nairobi,” Sakaja stated.
The Nairobi governor also commended his officers for doing an excellent job since he took office, adding that the tainted image of the City Inspectorate had been restored.
Lady Who Locked Kanjo in Her Car
The directive came days after a video showing a lady confronting a Nairobi County enforcement officer inside her car and driving him to Kitengela surfaced.
In an interview, the lady revealed that she drove all the way to Kajiado out of her fury with the city’s law enforcers.
According to her, the behavior of county askaris hopping into people’s cars in Nairobi is common and often leads to time wasting.
