A Nairobi trader has claimed that Nairobi county council officers, also known as Kanjos, robbed her of Ksh400,000 at Mwariro Market along Ring Road.
The lady, who sells potatoes in bulk, alleged that she lost all the cash she had made in sales and was counting huge losses after Kanjo raided her shop.
Furthermore, the officers allegedly manhandled her, took the Ksh400,000 cash from her pocket, and nearly snatched her phone during the incident that happened on the evening of Wednesday, October 18.
The woman attributed the raid to a misunderstanding between the county officials and the market management, adding that the traders ended up bearing the brunt.
''There is a possible conflict between the county council officials and market directors that has caught traders in between,'' she alleged but did not divulge whether the directors reached out to the traders to clarify the issue.
She also did not clarify if she had filed a report with the police in an effort to recover her Ksh400,000 cash.
Nonetheless, the lady further complained that she is charged a Ksh 9,000-10,000 fee before she accesses the market, based on the capacity of potatoes she transports from the farm to her shop.
Another trader in the same market lamented County Council officers disrupt their businesses through unlawful raids, causing uncertainty and panic among traders.
''This evening, the officers raided us and ordered us to leave the market, even arresting some of us,'' the trader lamented, adding that they were asked to relocate to Kang'undo Road.
Other than the frustrations by the kanjos, traders selling perishable goods complained of high cess fees imposed by the county government.
They also urged the county, led by Governor Johnson Sakaja, to intervene and resolve the crisis by enacting better management structures and reducing taxes.
Earlier on Wednesday, smokie and egg vendors at the Nairobi CBD counted losses after Nairobi Kanjos confiscated their trollies. The county council askaris alleged that the vendors were operating without licenses.
Later on, Governor Sakaja condemned the act, apologised and compensated the vendors Ksh 10,000 each.
''I have ordered the immediate release of all confiscated items, apologised to the traders, and personally compensated each of them to the tune of 10,000 shillings each,'' Sakaja stated.
