Police have lobbed tear gas to disperse rowdy hawkers and boda boda riders battling county askaris at Tom Mboya Street in Nairobi.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Dickson Mbugua, Chairman of Matatu Welfare Association, confirmed the incident but was not privy to the cause of the clashes.
He also distanced matatu operators from the clashes, refuting reports claiming that drivers and touts battled kanjos earlier in the day.
Motorists using Odeon routes were advised to use alternative routes as police sought to bring normalcy to the area.
The chaos spilled to Mondlane Street affecting business and transport in the area.
Reports indicated that the teargas affected operations inside corporate premises in the area including a local commercial bank.
It was not immediately clear if police officers had made any arrests during the protests.
"They (hawkers and bodaboda operators) are always fighting for space with the ensuing disagreements drawing in kanjo," Mbugu remarked that the perennial fights were tainting the orderliness of the city.
While in the past demonstrations in CBD have led to the loss of property worth millions, police were quick to ensure the running battles between traders and kanjos did not lead to the destruction of businesses.
Earlier Kileleshwa Ward Representative Robert Alai had advocated for hawkers to wear uniforms for easy identification by county askaris.
“Nairobi must be orderly. The problem is we are focused on looting what others built while not expanding anything," Alai had remarked.
Nairobi County Askaris have been in the limelight over their code of conduct while engaging traders with Governor Johnson Sakaja promising to streamline the sector.
