UDA’s Woodley MCA Davidson Ngibuini announces Kibra protests
The Member of County Assembly for Woodley Ward, Mr Davidson Ngibuini, popularly referred to as DNG from his entertainment career days, has announced that Kibra residents will be taking part in peaceful protests from 10am, Friday, February 23, 2024.
In a statement to the police and the media, Ms Ngibuini said the protests will be against the government’s plan to demolish structures and forcefully evict informal traders- hustlers- along the Ngong Road-Kibera-Langata Link road that cuts through his Woodley/Kenyatta Golf Course Ward.
“It is saddening that a National Government Agency such as Kenya Urban Roads Authority can decide to kick out struggling Kenyans and destroy their businesses, livelihoods and income generating activities during these extremely harsh economic times. I am perplexed at how such a poor and irrational decision can be made with full understanding that the Kenya Kwanza Government is a hustler regime,” began Mr Ngibuini, a UDA allied politician.
He said the protests will be in form of a press conference followed by a procession that will begin at Prestige Plaza and snake through Ngong Road, Suna Road, Joseph Kangethe Road and the Ngong Road-Kibera Link Road.
“A written petition by the affected traders will then be dispatched to the KURA Offices at Barabara Plaza-JKIA, Airport South Road… The traders demand that KURA rescinds this Notice and allows them to do continue operating their businesses without disruption and interference. Further, they demand that a no objection letter be issued by KURA to allow them to put up modern kiosks in the said section in line with the Nairobi City County Government’s County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP 2023-2027),” said Mr Ngibuini.
The Kenya Kwanza government came in to power after President William Ruto campaigned on a bottom-up ticket in which he claimed that small scale traders and hustlers will be the priority in his government as opposed to big businesses.
However, since then, hustlers have been having a rather difficult time with the government’s introduction of new taxes on businesses as well as increasing the existing taxes.
This has seen many multinational and mid-level companies feeling the pinch and closing up shop; this as hustlers at the bottom of the economic ladder continue complaining about the difficulty in running businesses and providing for their families amid harsh economic times occasioned by the government’s policies.
Also read: Rapper Nyashinski on the spot over Copyright of ‘Wach Wach’ hit