Sakaja bans hawking on CBD roads

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has introduced new rules to reduce the number of hawkers in the city’s Central Business District (CBD).

Sakaja said the rules are aimed at restoring order and dignity to the capital city.

He spoke after meeting with inspectorate officers on October 25, 2023.

“There will be no hawking on the road. In fact, I’m enforcing it from tomorrow (Thursday) morning, even around the bus station, I’ll not allow that,” Sakaja said.

He said the move would not only improve safety for hawkers, who risk their lives selling on the roads, but also make it easier for motorists to move around and park their cars.

Sakaja warned his inspectorate officers to be fair when implementing the new rules.

He praised them for their work since he took office and said they had restored the tarnished image of the City Inspectorate.

Sakaja also directed the Chief Officer in charge of Security, Anthony Kimani, to ensure that all officers wear uniforms.

“All our officers must be in uniform. I don’t want anyone operating without a uniform unless it is part of our plain clothes operation team,” he said.

Sakaja’s announcement comes days after an incident in which a popular TikToker accused an inspectorate officer of illegally entering her car and bullying her.

Sakaja was also criticized after officers were caught on camera harassing and impounding hawkers’ goods last week. The Governor publicly apologized and compensated each affected hawker with Sh10,000.