A section of Kenyans expressed concerns after Nairobi county officers, also known as Kanjos, were captured vandalising and seizing smokies vendor carts.
The photos shared widely depicted smokies and boiled eggs sprawled on the roadside as a county askari lorry towed other trolleys.
“My friends wa kanjo, if it is a must to arrest these people, please do it in a humane way. Protect whatever the businesses, big or small. Their families depend on that for survival.” read a Facebook post by philanthropist Ndungu Nyoro.
The activist further urged well-wishers to help him track down one of the vendors who incurred losses in the raid.
"Someone has promised to help restock whatever was in the trolley if we can trace the owner. Do you know how we can reach him/her ndio watoto wasilale njaa?"
Efforts to reach the Nairobi county government to address the issues were unsuccessful, as officials were unavailable.
The county had earlier on inched on plans to relocate all city traders to back lanes in a move to create order in the city.
Sakaja wanted the small-scale traders to flourish in an orderly way, thus approving the relocation of 6500 hawkers.
“We intend to relocate the hawkers and create order in the CBD as per our RRI targets,” Nairobi County Executive for Hustlers and Business Opportunities, Maureen Njeri stated on July 31, 2023.
Among areas within the CBD that were earmarked for this exercise included Sotik Road, Dubois, Turkana Drive, Posta, and Kirinyaga Lane.
Sakaja also increased cess fees for traders selling sweets from Ksh20 to Ksh50 per day and an annual fee of Ksh2,500 per year. Other changes included traders selling food paying Ksh1,500 for a handler's health certificate, up from Ksh1,000.
