How will Sakaja balance order and livelihoods in Nairobi CBD?

In the busy streets of Nairobi, where every inch of space is contested and survival often means hustling in the open, a new storm is brewing.

The steadfast street vendors, the heartbeat of Nairobi’s informal economy, now find themselves squarely in the crosshairs of the county government.

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With a push to reclaim the streets and restore order, Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration began a new crackdown, forcefully removing hawkers from their spots on the busy streets and sending them to the backstreets and lanes.

On January 6, 2024, acting County Secretary Godfrey Akumali issued a notice directing that hawking would only be done in the backstreets within specific times and areas.

Monday to Saturday

According to the directive, hawkers can only operate from Monday to Saturday between 4 pm and 10 pm.

The county also directed that they can only trade in zones stretching from Tom Mboya Street to Kirinyaga Road.

“No hawking will be allowed on the main streets and roads including Moi Avenue, Haile Selassie Avenue, Kenneth Matiba Road, Latema Road, Ronald Ngala Street, Mfangano Street, Hakati Road, and River Road.

‘‘‘All walkways within the central business district (CBD) are strictly for pedestrians and not trading,” reads the notice by Akumali,” adding that anyone who contravenes the notice will be prosecuted under the Nairobi County Government by-laws.

The streets, once teeming with goods and life, are now the battleground of an ongoing struggle.

But will the hawkers be driven from the streets, or will they reclaim their space in this ever-evolving cityscape?

As the cat-and-mouse game intensifies, the voices of hawkers, county officials, matatu operators, and licensed business owners echo through the streets of Nairobi, each group presenting its own set of concerns and demands.

The hawkers argue that the directive threatens their livelihoods and that many rely on hawking to support their families.

According to them, the designated zones are unsuitable due to overcrowding, lack of sanitation, and competition for space with parked vehicles.

John Mawaya, chairman of the CBD hawkers, expressed frustration with the new measures, noting that it is not an ideal place for the hawkers.

“The backstreets are full of vehicles and open shops. For instance, we often find public service vehicles and private cars occupying the designated spaces. We are appealing to the county government to intervene and ensure the vehicles are removed so that we have space to trade,” said Mawaya.

Jane Wanjiku, a hawker, said that the conditions in the backstreets are unbearable.

“The backstreets are dirty and congested with cars. This creates conflict with vehicle owners, and we fear it might escalate. The space isn’t enough for all of us, and some might turn to crime out of desperation. The county government should reconsider the directive,” Wanjiku said.

Peter Otieno, who sells secondhand clothes, pointed out the sanitation challenges, blaming the county government for not providing proper dumping areas in the backstreets.

For hawkers, the streets are the only means of survival and the only means of feeding their families. For them, the crackdown feels like a rejection of their place in the city’s economic ecosystem.

However, some of the hawkers have defied the rules and are still operating from the restricted spaces.

The move to relocate the hawkers to backstreets was defended by Sakaja’s administration, terming it as a way to restore order in the city.

According to the Nairobi Chief Officer for Environment, Geoffrey Mosiria, the directive was long overdue and there is no turning back.

“There are CBD houses, offices, colleges, and hospitals and these institutions require a quiet and orderly environment. Hawkers were allocated backstreets to ensure walkways remain clear for pedestrians and to maintain a clean city,” Mosiria said.

He stated that the county has built sheds in the designated areas and provided guidelines to ensure smooth operations.

“We have found cases where hawkers rent out multiple spaces or sell their products in front of shops during the day, creating unnecessary congestion. If they adhered to the designated areas and times, there would be no conflicts,” he said.

Unchecked expansion

The county government insists that its actions are necessary to restore order and manage the rapidly growing Nairobi city, which has long grappled with the informal economy’s unchecked expansion, congested streets, and limited space.

City officials argue that hawking creates chaos, contributing to traffic congestion, sanitation issues, and safety hazards.

“They dump garbage carelessly or hand it to street families, who then dispose of it improperly. This makes it difficult for us to keep the city clean.”

As the county government cracks down on hawkers, the tension between these contesting groups continues to escalate.

Hawkers argue that the designated areas are not ideal for their businesses, citing that the area’s backstreet lanes are congested, filthy, and have sparked conflict between them and other parties.

They say some backstreet lanes are homes to street families, while others are used by matatus as their dropping and picking points.

“The backstreets are dirty, congested, and too small for all of us. This forces us into constant fights for space, which sometimes results in injuries. Before implementing these directives, the county government should have addressed these challenges,” Mawaya said.

In the middle of these tensions are the licensed business owners, who often see hawkers as unfair competition.

They argue that running a legitimate and licensed business comes with costs, including rent, taxes, and adherence to regulations and rules, yet hawkers can sell their products at low prices by avoiding the same expenses incurred by licensed traders.

For these business owners, the unregulated nature of hawking not only threatens their livelihood but also undermines the integrity of formal businesses in the city, which have to bear the weight of legal and financial obligations that hawkers can avoid.

They argue that hawkers block entrances, deter customers, and unfairly compete by selling cheaper goods since they do not pay rent, licences, or taxes.

“When hawkers trade on the pavements, they block the way for customers. Also, they sell goods at lower prices because they don’t incur the overhead costs we do, like rent and taxes,” said Peter Njoroge.

Adding to the complexity is the role of matatu operators, who claim ownership of the contested spaces. According to them, the county government designated the backstreets as their parking zones, for which they pay fees.