Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan has called on Nairobi City County to stop the harassment, intimidation and arbitrary arrests of traders in Eastleigh and Gikomba. He spoke in Eastleigh on Sunday. According to The Eastleigh Voice, his complaints targeted county enforcement officers, commonly known as Kanjos.
The Star reported that Hassan said traders had complained of officers destroying their goods and property or taking them by force. He said mama mboga and hawkers sometimes had their goods seized without explanation. This, he said, left their families without income. He added that traders were already struggling with the high cost of living and a difficult business environment.
Hassan said the two areas are major commercial centres that contribute significantly to Nairobi's tax revenue. "The traders whose businesses generate this revenue are, in essence, helping pay the salaries of the very officers who harass them," he said. He said traders were being treated as enemies of the city rather than as partners in its development.
The Eastleigh Voice reported that the MP described the relationship between the county administration and traders as increasingly unequal. "This unequal relationship, this abusive relationship must come to an end," he said.
Hassan said he supports the lawful enforcement of county regulations and the need to keep order in the city. However, he said enforcement must be fair, respectful and humane. He urged the county government to support small businesses instead of running operations that threaten livelihoods.
The MP set out several demands. He wants the arrests and harassment to stop, along with the destruction and unlawful confiscation of property. He also wants the county to talk with traders and their representatives. The aim, he said, is to find lasting solutions on business licences, trading spaces and compliance. He further called for accountability and disciplinary action against officers found to have unlawfully damaged or confiscated property or abused their authority.
Hassan pledged to keep engaging the relevant authorities so that traders in Kamukunji Constituency can do business without their rights and livelihoods being undermined. The sources did not include a response from Nairobi City County.