They Are Important Hustlers- Gachagua On Hawkers Being Harassed In Nairobi

He wondered why some of them were being subjected to harassment yet they were the biggest supporters of the Kenya Kwanza administration in the run-up to the 2022 polls.

Marvin Chege Marvin Chege
Nov 30, 2023 - 13:27 Updated: Nov 30, 2023 - 13:30
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They Are Important Hustlers- Gachagua On Hawkers Being Harassed In Nairobi
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua speaking during the Hustler Fund First Anniversary Celebrations in Nairobi on November 30, 2023. /DPPS

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Thursday, November 30 expressed his dissatisfaction with the harassment of hawkers in Nairobi and other parts of the country.

Speaking during the Hustler Fund First Anniversary Celebrations in Nairobi, Gachagua termed hawkers as an integral part of Kenya's economy and as such, should be allowed to market their wares and earn a living.

He wondered why some of them were being subjected to harassment yet they were the biggest supporters of the Kenya Kwanza administration in the run-up to the 2022 polls.

Screengrabs of a hawker in Nairobi crying after kanjos spilled his groundnuts. /SUSAN AUMA

Gachagua thus called upon the governors to devise ways of treating hawkers with dignity following cases of the hawkers' wares being destroyed by Kanjos.

“I take this opportunity to ask our leaders in all counties across Kenya, even here in Nairobi, to recognize the importance of these hustlers. They are significant individuals who should be given the chance to work and provide for their families,” he urged.

"When they enter the streets, they don't have a problem with anyone, all they do is sell their goods and go home afterwards. I urge our elected leaders to love and support these hustlers just as they loved us when they voted for us."

Gachagua further asked counties not to be swayed by the rich people to chase away the hawkers from towns.

"The site of these hustlers should not irritate anybody. We should love them the way we loved them during the elections. Let the governors not be pushed by people with money to chase away the hustlers.

"Those who have money were not for us during the polls. These are the people who stood by us. Let the counties work with the national government to dignify them," he stated.

His remarks were a reaction to numerous instances of county askaris harassing traders in different parts of the country, especially in Nairobi where most cases have sparked uproar nationwide, forcing Governor Johnson Sakaja to issue a series of apologies.

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.

A month later, Sakaja on November 22 was forced to scramble and meet up with Burundi national Ndagire Renova, the 14-year-old hawker who went viral after his groundnuts were spilt by County askaris, popularly known as kanjos along Luthuli Avenue. 

Sakaja hosted Renova in his office in response to persistent calls by Nairobi residents to the governor to get to the bottom of the matter, following a video showing him crying uncontrollably in front of members of the public following the incident.

Nairobi Governor Sakaja meets the hawker whose groundnuts were spilt by Nairobi 'Kanjos' on November 22, 2023. /JOHNSON SAKAJA

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