Nairobi Chief Officer for Environment Geoffrey Mosiria on Wednesday, April 16, exposed how several Nairobi hawkers were using public toilets at Green Park in Nairobi to store their goods.
Mosiria revealed the development that posed a serious health and sanitation risk to Nairobi residents. At the same time, he disclosed how the hawkers were engaging in open-air cooking at the park, contrary to the law.
Footage obtained by Kenyans.co.ke showed Mosiria traversing various toilets in the park, showing various products such as soda, water, milk and coolers stored at the restrooms as they prepared them for sale.
When grilled by Mosiria, some of the offenders were helpless and at pains to explain their violation of the law, mumbling their way into lies. In one instance, a suspected hawker, while pleading his innocence, stated that he was waiting for a truck to ferry their goods.
During the ‘raid’ Mosiria ordered the arrest of several hawkers who had stored their goods as well as the arrest of proprietors of the public toilets in what seemed to be a well-coordinated agreement between the hawkers and toilet proprietors.
“Today, while conducting environmental supervision at Green Park, I was shocked to find hawkers not only invading the park and engaging in open cooking, but also using public toilets to store their goods,” Mosiria stated.
“I took immediate action to restore order and reinforce regulations. We are committed to reclaiming and preserving our green spaces for safe, clean, and sustainable use,” he added.
Aside from the arrests, Mosiria also ordered the confiscation of the goods belonging to the arrested hawkers.
The latest incident comes days after Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale confirmed that a total of 97 cases and six fatalities have been recorded following a cholera outbreak in the country.
In a statement on Tuesday, April 8, Duale confirmed that as of Sunday, April 6, the cases were recorded in Migori, Kisumu, and Nairobi.
In Nairobi, twelve cases and one casualty have been reported, with Kasarani, Embakasi East, Embakasi Central, Roysambu, Kibra, and Dagoretti South being the hardest hit.
Additionally, in Migori County, which is reeling from the outbreak, a total of 53 cases and one fatality have been reported, with Suna East, Suna West, Kuria East, and Kuria West being the most affected.
Meanwhile, Kisumu, 32 cases and four casualties have been reported, with Nyando and Muhoroni being the most affected sub-counties.
Cholera is an acute diarrhoea infection caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Cholera can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea and can be fatal within hours if untreated.
