PS Seeks Out Nairobi Hawker Whose Groundnuts Were Poured By Kanjos
She was responding to a video which went viral showing the hawker weeping uncontrollably and pleading with the askaris as his peanuts lay scattered on the ground, in full view of surrounding onlookers.
Marvin Chege 
Principal Secretary, State Department for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Susan Auma, urged Kenyans to help her track down a street vendor whose stock of groundnuts was destroyed by Nairobi County askaris, popularly known as kanjos.
She was responding to a video which went viral showing the hawker weeping uncontrollably and pleading with the askaris as his peanuts lay scattered on the ground, in full view of surrounding onlookers.
The footage, depicting the hawker's desperate plea, drew widespread anger with Kenyans accusing rogue elements in the County askaris force of ruining the livelihoods of hawkers by any means necessary.
Dear compatriots, I implore your assistance in locating this hustler whose endeavors and livelihood have been detrimentally impacted. pic.twitter.com/9EvszHTQog — Susan Auma Mang'eni (@HonSusanMangen1) November 22, 2023
"Dear compatriots, I implore your assistance in locating this hustler whose endeavours and livelihood have been detrimentally impacted," Auma stated on X (formerly Twitter).
Auma also urged Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to formalize and integrate micro and small enterprises, emphasizing the need for informal traders to be considered and the need to preserve and nurture these enterprises for purposes of growing entrepreneurship among young people as an alternative to jobs.
"Respected County Government of Nairobi led by Governor Sakaja Johnson, I earnestly urge for the formalization and integration of micro and small enterprises, coupled with the establishment of secure operational environments.
"It is imperative to preserve and nurture these enterprises, recognizing that their demise does not enhance Nairobi's affluence and prosperity," she added.
Auma also called on leaders to create a conducive environment for SMEs to thrive as they are one of the biggest drivers of Kenya's economy.
"Effective leadership necessitates the provision of guidance and viable alternatives. Let us champion the significance of small businesses in pursuit of delivering the plan," she added.
Comedian turned activist Eric Omondi also reached out to the young man who broke down after crossing paths with the kanjos.
"When they destroy, we rebuild. I am looking for this boy. But remember, our time is coming," Omondi, who heightened his philanthropy works after the August 2022 elections, stated.
The video exposed the pitfalls among county askaris who have been accused for years of harassing informal and small businesses operating in the Central Business District (CBD) as well as residents themselves.
On Wednesday, October 18, Viral Tea reported that plain-clothes kanjo officers were captured in several photos and videos circulating on social media impounding smokie trolleys in the CBD on the guise of lacking food handlers permits, threatening the livelihoods of the owners of the food businesses before they were bailed out by governor Sakaja.
On the same day, a kanjo officer's confrontation with TikToker Gloria Ntazola who accused him of entering her vehicle without her consent sparked mixed reactions nationwide.
