As Governor Johnson Sakaja’s government takes shape, some of the bylaws passed by previous governments may be enforced, and others amended.
Most of the bylaws come into effect after one breaks the law.
However, Sakaja promised to curb harassment of residents at the hands of county askaris, popularly known as kanjos.
One of the bylaws pre-emptively gelled among the many publications by the city county is the ban on the washing of cars around residential areas due to inadequate or lack of drainage systems.
“If you own a car, make sure you take it to a licensed car wash because it is illegal to wash a vehicle in a residential area or do a repair that requires dismantling it except in emergency cases,” City Lawyer Cliff Ombeta told NTV in a past interview.
However, this is one of the most violated city laws by both public and private motorists.
“The violation of this law is due to the fact that many people do not know it, neither do they care about it since Kanjo (City County Askaris) cannot be found everywhere in Nairobi,” Ombeta explained.
The fine for washing a car at home is about Ksh2,000, which must be paid to the county government through various bank accounts.
“To avoid prosecution, many suspects do resort to settling the matter before reaching the precincts of the court, which is not good at all,” Cliff Ombeta added.
To avoid such inconveniencing trouble, car owners are advised to take their cars to licensed car-wash parlours.
In January 2021, Mohamed Badi, the director general of the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), threatened to reduce the number of car wash businesses operating in the city.
"Car washes are too many, even in posh areas like Muthaiga, Lavington and Karen, which should not be the case. Most of these were licensed by MCAs - a politically instigated move and a kind of payment to boys who probably voted for them.
"These politicians control the Nairobi County Assembly. They develop the by-laws which allow such businesses to operate illegally," Badi stated, adding that car-wash business was a menace.
