Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko on Thursday, September 26 cracked the whip on city motorists after a warning he issued the previous day.
The vocal governor conducted a raid on Nairobi motorists and parking boys who broke the city council's parking rules.
"If you thought I was joking well you are wrong. Double parking, overlapping and U-turns are no longer tolerated in the Central Business District (CBD) All motorists must abide by the county's bylaws. No one is above, even if you drive a 2020 Lexus car," he warned.
In photos posted by Sonko on social media, the County council officers could be seen clamping and towing several cars.
Sonko's team also conducted a crackdown arresting several parking boys who according to him block parking bays using motorbikes to sell the spaces to desperate motorists.
Governor Sonko's communication director Jacod Tedy Elkanah who spoke to Kenyans.co.ke, said his boss' stern action was largely meant to educate the public.
Previously, Sonko had declared war on Nairobi motorists with special attention paid to parking areas near the Nation Center.
In a post on his Facebook page, the flamboyant governor ordered his law enforcement officers to ensure that people adhere to traffic laws while identifying the area around the Nation Center as a notorious site for traffic infractions.
"I have instructed my city council team to ensure no vehicle is double parking, overlapping or making U-turns (at undesignated places) and road users should pay parking fees, especially the notorious motorists situated at Nation Center," stated Sonko.
He further disclosed that he would be going after all motorists in the city flouting parking regulations and that he had noticed a bribery trend involving parking boys that denied the county substantial revenue.
"All of us, including the larger matatu sector, are in agreement that the current chaotic situation is neither good for the public nor for those who have invested in the industry.
"Those bribing parking boys with Ksh100 are denying county revenue, we will clamp your vehicle and arrest boys together with your car keys," he added.
Failure to pay the Ksh200 parking fee attracts a Ksh2,500 fine once your car gets clamped.
The governor also urged motorists frustrated by the said parking boys to reach him via Whatsapp number 0722886600 where they would include the name of the street. This is because he has "a special team that deals with the culprits."
