Kamukunji MP Hassan accuses Kanjo of harassing Eastleigh, Gikomba traders

 

Kamukunji Member of Parliament Yusuf Hassan said the Askari’s are behind a series of destruction and unlawful confiscation of traders' property in Eastleigh and Gikomba.

Kamukunji Member of Parliament Yusuf Hassan has called on Nairobi County Askari’s, well-known as ‘Kanjo’, to immediately stop the harassment, intimidation and arbitrary arrests of traders.

The legislator said the Askari’s are behind a series of destruction and unlawful confiscation of traders' property in Eastleigh and Gikomba.

Hassan said enforcement officers must ensure that all enforcement operations strictly comply with the law.

“I am deeply concerned by reports of continued harassment, intimidation and arbitrary arrests of small-scale traders, hawkers and business owners by Nairobi City County askaris in Eastleigh and Gikomba, including the destruction and forceful confiscation of their goods and property,” said Hassan, noting that such actions are unacceptable and must stop.

Hassan said the traders are ordinary Kenyans working hard to earn a living, support their families and contribute to the economy.

According to him, at a time when many are struggling with the high cost of living and an increasingly difficult business environment, the county government should be supporting small businesses, protecting livelihoods and creating an environment where people can work and earn with dignity.

“As the Member of Parliament for Kamukunji, I stand firmly with the traders of Eastleigh and Gikomba and call upon Nairobi City County to engage traders and their representatives to find practical and sustainable solutions to licensing, trading spaces and compliance issues,” he said.

Hassan further said the county should ensure accountability for officers found to have unlawfully damaged or confiscated property or abused their authority.

“It is particularly disappointing that Eastleigh and Gikomba, one of Nairobi's major commercial centres and a significant contributor to the city's tax revenues, is being subjected to such treatment,” he said, adding, “The traders whose businesses generate this revenue are, in essence, helping pay the salaries of the very officers who harass them.”

The MP said it is ironic and unacceptable that those who contribute so much to the city's economy are being treated as enemies rather than partners in its development.

Equally troubling, the MP said, is the inhumane manner in which some county askaris treat mama mboga, hawkers and other small-scale traders.

He said their goods are seized, sometimes without explanation, leaving families without the little income they depend on for their daily survival.

“No trader should have their hard-earned property destroyed or confiscated through intimidation and abuse of power,” he said.

I want to make it clear that I support the lawful enforcement of county regulations and the need to maintain order in our city. However, enforcement must be fair, respectful and humane, he added.

Hassan said there are better and more constructive ways for the county to address licensing and trading-space challenges, including engaging traders and their representatives to find practical solutions that protect both their livelihoods and the interests of the city.