Vendors and hawkers selling items in the streets in Nairobi CBD. Photo/courtesy.
After the county government of Nairobi made a decision to ban hawking activities in the main streets in the Central Business District (CBD), many people are questioning the justification of the ban.
The ban came as a result of complaints from the public about the congestion on the sidewalks that makes it difficult to navigate, and most of the time forces them to move into the busy roads causing inconvenience and sometimes accidents. In order to create safety to the general public, authority says some restrictions had to be made.
The streets of Nairobi have always been flocked with hawking activities since the 80’s, with the authority disclosing that the number has increased over the past years. Today, over 5,000 people hawk within the CBD to earn their living making it busier and even more congested.
On 6 January 2025, the county government issued a notice restricting hawkers from operating on major roads like Moi Avenue, Haile Selassie Avenue, Kenneth Matiba Road, Latema Road, Ronald Ngala Street, Mfangano Street, Hakati Road, and River Road.
“No hawking will be allowed on the main streets and roads such as Moi Avenue, Haile Selassie Avenue, Kenneth Matiba Road, Latema Road, Ronald Ngala Street, Mfangano Street, Hakati Road, and River Road.” The statement reads.
This is not the first time such restriction is made, in October 2023, Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja made the same implementation trying to relocate trading activities from the CBD to Kangundo Road Market which wasn’t taken lightly causing outrage and protest from the traders.
To maintain the image of the city which serves as the biggest hub for business and tourism in Eastern and central Africa, the authority expresses the need to balance between the informal traders and the metropolitan aesthetic, therefore, order must be restored for easy mobility and other operations.
“We are not against hawkers, but hawking must be done in an orderly manner. Hawking on roads, pavements, and footbridges will not be tolerated. The law must be adhered to for the dignity of our city and its people.” Said Sakaja during his speech on the hawker’s crackdown in 2023.
This move has brought an uproar especially to the public whose daily needs depends on hawking. However, the county government has offered an alternative solution by designating streets like Tom Mboya and Kirinyaga road.
