Hawkers free to sell in front of shops after 2pm – Sonko
Hawkers will now be free to sell their wares in front of shops after 2pm, according to new guidelines released by Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko.
The hawkers will, however, not be allowed to operate beyond Tom Mboya Street west of the city centre or on roads.
They will also operate only on one side of the roads and must leave enough space for pedestrians.
The measures, which take effect immediately, were agreed upon after a series of consultative meetings between the county government and hawkers’ representatives.
The guidelines also provide for long-term measures that the county government will undertake to regulate the more than 10,000 hawkers in the city.
INTENSE PRESSURE
The governor has been under intense pressure to save the city from the hawkers menace, traffic jams, street families and garbage.
The county will implement the reforms in three phases.
Two committees have been formed to oversee implementation; one comprising of eight executive members and another consisting 20 members hawker representatives from each street.
“To reduce on conflicts, city askaris should provide proof by taking videos and photos of defaulters,” stated the governor.
In the second phase, the county government will register all hawkers and have their details in a database for ease of identification.
Mr Sonko said that only hawkers from Nairobi will be registered to ward off those from other regions. Voters cards will be used for the purpose of registration.