The Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) on Monday launched a crackdown on illegal car wash areas within Nairobi that will affect motorists in the city.
The exercise is aimed at closing down car wash areas, mainly run by youth empowerment groups and located beside roads.
Some of the carwash hit by the operation include those located around Western Ring Roads like Olenguroune Road, Oloitoktok Road, Kileleshwa and Kilimani.
KURA head of Corporate Communications, Mr John Cheboi, on Monday explained to journalists that the crackdown will also affect private car owners who park their vehicles in the illegal car wash establishments.
[caption caption="Police escort motorist found parked at an illegal carwash during a KURA crackdown on July 9, 2018"]
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"They will be charged alongside the car wash owners because we had issued prior warnings that were ignored.
"The carwashes cause some cracks and when the water percolates, it goes into the base, it weakens it, resulting in potholes," Mr Cheboi explained.
He noted that the situation was so dire that a bus stage along one of the roads in Kibra had been converted to a car wash.
He further outlined that the county administration will be involved and charged with the responsibility of issuing licenses to operators.
"We have written to the county government to help by not licensing carwashes that are next to roads and lack drainage facilities.
"We are first starting with evicting those occupying road corridors without licenses," he stated.
[caption caption="Police arrest an attendant found in an illegal car-wash during a KURA crackdown on July 9, 2018 "]
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[caption caption="Car towed away during KURA crackdown on illegal car wash areas on July 9, 2018"]
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