The move by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to ban traders and hawkers from lining their wares on roads within the Central Business District (CBD) could lead to a fresh war of words with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Sakaja made the announcement on October 25, 2023 after a meeting with inspectorate officers.
He attributed it to the need to ‘bring sanity to the city.’
The county boss further ordered the inspectorate officers to enforce the laws with immediate effect.
The move, however, might not just sit down well with the DP, who is currently on an official visit to Belgium and Germany.
Gachagua has in the past publicly criticized Sakaja, especially when the county boss attempted to relocate public service vehicles (PSVs) from Nairobi’s Central Business District.
In his criticism, the DP claimed he had ‘rallied’ his community to vote for Sakaja during the 2022 polls.
Thus, he added, the matatu operators, a majority of whom are from his community, needed an enabling working environment to do business.
“I recently called Sakaja for a discussion. He should come slowly. We must reach an agreement on anything he decides that may threaten people’s businesses,” warned Gachagua.
Sakaja hit back at Gachagua, claiming it was his responsibility to improve the status of Nairobi and its residents.
“I heard someone saying, ‘Sakaja, you do not know that Nairobi has been like this even before you were born’. That’s why I am the Governor, and I can’t leave it as it was before I was born. We must change it,’ “explained the county boss.
“We must transform our city into a shining jewel in Africa.”
All said, Sakaja later backed down on the move to relocate the matatus from the CBD.
The country boss also appeared to shelve his plans to close down all entertainment joints located within the estates ‘as they had become a health hazard, especially to school-going children’.
In between the war of words between Sakaja and Gachagua, politicians allied to the two leaders came out to defend them.
The move to ban hawkers from the CBD comes at a time when Members of the County Assembly (MCA) allied to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) have been at loggerheads over its leadership in the County Assembly.
The move which led to the installation of Nairobi South MCA Waithera Chege as Minority leader at the Assembly, has been interpreted in some quarters to suggest a cold war between the DP and the Governor over the control of Nairobi politics ahead of the UDA polls in December 2023.
