Governor Sonko’s squad an illegal way to fight crime

This newspaper has repeatedly criticised the rising cases of hawkers, street families and beggars who have taken up every available space within the central business district (CBD). It is no longer safe walking the streets even in broad daylight as daring criminals accost and snatch valuables from pedestrians.

Interestingly, the influx of hawkers into the CBD began in earnest the day that Mike Mbuvi Sonko was sworn in as the governor of Nairobi County. This might have been on the mistaken assumption that the governor sympathises with the lowly, hence would accommodate them.

To restore the glory and safety of Nairobi, Sonko must act with speed to clear hawkers, beggars, most of whom are children as young as three years, and street families from the CBD. This needs to be done in a humane way to avoid conflicts. The formation of the anti-mugging unit by the Nairobi county government, specifically to deal with criminals in the CBD, has no legal basis.

This is not to say the idea is bad, but the provisions of the law must be followed. It is important to consider a few issues, such as who will train them, who they will be answerable to, who will establish whether their operations will supplement police operations or run independently. Such a unit is not vested with the powers of arrest and prosecution. In the end, theirs would be wasted effort.

With an estimated population of four million people, 33 per cent of whom live below the poverty line, Nairobi’s resources are overstretched. Sonko should keep to his job of turning Nairobi into an admirable, clean, thriving metropolis.