Eastleigh traders to protest against crackdown
Business owners in Eastleigh will on Friday close shops and take to the street to protest over what they claim to be harassment by police.
The business owners, together with the landlords, have will stage the demonstration to protest over police security swoops that has netted 4, 000 people in the area.
Mr. Hassan Gulled, chairman of the Eastleigh Business Community, said traders have been incurring big loses since the Operation Usalama Watch started last week.
“We have voluntarily decided to demonstrate tomorrow (Friday) over the harassment by police. We are really suffering and it’s not business as usual here,” Mr Gulled told NairobiNews in a telephone interview.
But Nairobi County Police Commandant Benson Kubui said insisted the crackdown in Eastleigh will continue, and that he has not received intelligence of a possible demonstration on Friday.
“The operation will continue and we do not expect anyone to hold a demonstration in Eastleigh,” said Mr. Kibui.
Each business owner in Eastleigh has contributed Sh5,000 to facilitate Friday’s protest, according to Mr Gulled.
“Yesterday (Wednesday) every person who owns a shop here contributed Sh5,000 to help us hold the demonstration,” confirmed Mr. Gulled.