Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja was compelled to compensate smokie and egg dealers located in the Central Business District following an uproar over how the county askaris famously known as kanjo handled them.
Sakaja paid each of the affected traders Ksh10,000 from his own pocket.
He further stated that all the confiscated items were returned to the owners.
Sakaja however, castigated the county officials who oversaw the exercise stating that the county would take necessary disciplinary action against them.
“I have ordered the immediate release of all confiscated items, apologized to the traders and personally compensated each of them to the tune of Ksh10,000 each,” Sakaja stated.
“Even if the traders were operating without the required documentation, including a Medical Certificate from Public Health that every food handler must have for the safety of Nairobians, they did not deserve such treatment and we are dealing with this internally,” hr added.
Thousands of traders were affected by the operation which raised a lot of concerns online.
Led by Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, residents condemned the manner in which some traders were manhandled during the operation.
“Hawkers must be treated with respect. This is so wrong,” Babu Owino wrote.
“This operation took the whole day, why didn’t you stop it in the morning even after you were informed?” Babu Owino posed.
Following public outcry, Sakaja vowed to relook into the situation to find the best way of allowing business to run in the Nairobi Central Business District.
