City parking rakes up Sh2,000 every 15 minutes, so I'm carrying trash to dish out

A car clamped by the Nairobi City County enforcement officers, along Muindi Mbingu Street, Nairobi, on May 14, 2020. [File, Standard]

I recently experienced the power of City Hall, when I parked outside a supermarket on Nairobi's Kangundo Road. There was no parking attendant in sight and, in any case, I had parked there often enough without ever encountering one.

But on this occasion, after less than ten minutes inside the supermarket, I found a female attendant seated near the car. She did not speak with me and I had no reason to speak with her. I drove off. Within a minute of my departure, I received a notification on my phone requiring that I pay some Sh300 for parking.