Uproar as Nairobi Kanjos Caught Manhandling Traders During Arrest.

Nairobi County Chief Officer Geoffrey Mosiria has come out to support the continuing operation against hawkers in the city center, stating that the county must restore order and respect traders and enforcement officers.

Mosiria said he had noted some of the comments made on the web after videos emerged showing county enforcement officers clashing with hawkers in the CBD.

“To everyone who has tagged me regarding this matter, I want to assure you that I have taken note,” Mosiria said, pledging to promote “fairness, order, dignity, and professionalism” in the way the county manages the city.

According to Mosiria, hawkers were diligent people living in Nairobi and deserved assistance and an environment to carry out their daily business.

However, he warned that hawking should not block walkways, hinder access to other businesses, and affect the movement of residents.

“The CBD is the face of our capital city,” he said, arguing that it could not become “an unregulated marketplace.”

The county official also responded to criticism of how enforcement officers are carrying themselves and stated the need for officers to be respectful and professional in their work.

Mosiria added that officers involved would be given refresher training in lines of oversight, customer service standards, and their individual conduct when enforcing.

He further claimed that some confrontations were being instigated by people opting for violence or causing scenes which could distort the behavior of the officers.

“In some instances, confrontations occur where some individuals choose violence or create scenes that can misrepresent the situation,” he said.

The clash has caused discussions on X, with some arguing that Nairobi should not be cracking down on hawkers and that enforcement officials should not have arrested traders.

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Reactions on X

Habari Njema wrote, “We inherited every oppression from the colonial era. And now we topped it up with iwu. The same traders incurring losses are the same traders who will sing tutam.”

@User mike Ando commented, “Hawkers are mostly lawless people. Say NO to illegal hawking!! Blocking the pavements with their businesses, causing utter confusion everywhere. People have to walk on the road vs cars and lorries and boda bods – the other lawless bunch. Clogging ditches with litter…”

@Sierra questioned whether the traders could simply be moved, writing, “You guys think you can just walk to the hawkers and ask them to just move? Really. There is a reason that is street, and streets require street ways of doing things.”

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