A video of Murang’a County askaris throwing away smokies belonging to a vendor in a dustbin has sparked uproar among Kenyans.
In the video shared on social media on Saturday, January 12, the officers raided the vendor’s station where he sold smokies and eggs and asked for his official details including his ID number and name.
They are seen counting more than 30 smokies as they throw them away. One officer does the counting while another receives the product and throws it in the bin.
At the same time, another officer is heard questioning the vendor, asking him question about where he came from and why he chose to sell at that particular location.
“Where do you come from?” the officer asks to which he replies, “I stay in Embu. My home is in Murang’a.”
“Why don’t you sell eggs there?” the officer asks again before the video ends.
Also Read: Sakaja Advised on How to Deal with Ruthless Kanjo After Smokie Mayai Storm
Uproar From Kenyans
The county officials have received backlash from Kenyans, many who argued that no matter the mistake, they could have handled the matter in a better way.
In addition, others sympathized with the vendor who they noted must have lost all his income for the day and could be a bread winner.
“It is high time ‘Kanjo’ askaris are removed from town centers because they are harassing people too much,” Symo Kariuki stated.
“Imagine the pain this man must be feeling when dumping his smokies in the bin. This business can’t be easy, and the profit margins are small, and now he has to deal with this?” Nyar Ombei added.
For others, the incident was a reminder of a separate incident in Nairobi CBD, where county officers confiscated trolleys used by smokie vendors, disposing of some of their products.
Also Read: Govt Intervenes After Kanjos Spilled Hustler’s Njugu in CBD
On October 18, after the incident, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja issued an apology and pledged to pay affected vendors Ksh10,000 each.
Nairobi Kanjos Harassing Groundnut Vendor
However, shortly after in November 2023, another video of the law enforcers in Nairobi harassing a groundnut vendor went viral sparking criticism towards the officers.
In the video, a female county askari was seen holding part of the vendor’s bucket as the young man uncontrollably broke into tears.
