Uasin Gishu county government has rolled out stringent measures including the introduction of new uniforms with identification tags in an attempt to weed out a group of former county workers accused of harassing traders and extorting money from them while claiming to work for the devolved unit.
Bii said all the county askaris will have to operate in new uniforms for identification purposes to stop further harassment of traders.
The Uasin Gishu governor who inspected the ongoing infrastructure projects being undertaken by his administration will not tolerate any county workers engaging in forms of lawlessness.
“I will deal personally with any of the enforcement officers who will be found guilty of frustrating the traders and taking bribes from them. All law-abiding traders deserve to work in a conducive environment,” said Bii accompanied by county officials.
There have been complaints from the traders who claimed that they have been going through harassment from the county askaris who also take bribes from them besides confiscating their wares.
A recent report by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) put on the spot officers in Governor Bii’s administration during a recent clash with street families and hawkers.
According to KNCHR, there was excessive use of force, torture and inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment of traders and street persons by the inspectorate officials.
The violations, according to the commission, also happened during the search for persons accused of looting Eldomatt Supermarket and other shops within the CBD on November 17, 2022.
“KNCHR found out that there was substantive information to the effect that the county inspectorate enforcement officers applied excessive force while handling hawkers and street children during the cleanup exercise,” the report read in part.
The commission also obtained medical documents and statements from at least 11 victims and witnesses showing that they were admitted at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Eldoret with various injuries as a result of an assault, torture and excessive use force of by the county enforcement officers.
The Commission Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Dr Benard Mogesa who handed the report to Uasin-Gishu County Assembly also noted in the report, during a clean-up operation conducted from November 11, 2022 to November 23, 2022.
