Nairobi Governor Jonson Sakaja has refuted reports that his administration has planned to impose an entry fee for the renovated Uhuru Park.
While responding to queries from Kenyans on Thursday, the governor maintained that there will be free access to the venue as promised in 2022.
The governor was responding to concerns among Kenyans who lamented over the reported fees which they indicated would be unfair to the public given that they previously accessed the park for free.
Uhuru Park is yet to be opened to the public as the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) completes construction works.
While the exact dates of the reopening of the parks have not been revealed, it is expected that the Park will be opened to the public before the 2nd edition of the Nai Fest slated for December.
"He (Sakaja) stated on September 27, 2022, that the public will access Uhuru and Central parks for free. Uhuru Park should have zero entry fees!" Boniface Mwangi commented.
"Yeah, it’s zero," he responded.
Regarding the ban on hawkers from operating in the CBD, he clarified that the directives issued on October 25 were not a ban but an agreement on the operation of the hawkers.
According to Sakaja, it was agreed that the hawkers would only operate in certain sections and at different times of the data.
"Hawking hasn’t been banned. We’ve agreed on where they can operate from and from what time. Yes. They start at 4 pm on designated streets," he clarified.
Some of the areas the hawkers have been banned from operating from during the weekdays include sections along Tom Mboya Street to Moi Avenue.
The ban has however elicited debate with divided opinion on whether the ban would be effective owing to the impact of business in the city.
