Most Kenyans support Sakaja’s hawkers on the roads ban, others link it to King Charles’ visit

After Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja issued a tough ultimatum to city hawkers, essentially pushing them out of town and outlawing their roadside operations, Kenyans treated the decision differently, with many, surprisingly, supporting the move and others reading a little mischief in it.

Speaking during a meeting on Wednesday, the county boss issued orders that no hawkers will be allowed to operate along lanes connecting to Moi Avenue in the Nairobi Central Business District.

He further proposed that the affected hawkers be given priority to operate along the back lanes and eke out a living.

"From Tom Mboya coming up to Moi Avenue, we will have no hawking and street business there because we have a plan on that road where we receive billions from investors," he said.

"I was in Paris and we are doing BRT. We are going to expand that road to be walkable because I am not just taking care of you, I am also taking care of Kenyans who are walking, those who own shops...they are also taxpayers."

Sakaja's declaration comes at a curious time when Kenya is expected to host the United Kingdom’s King Charles III and the Queen Consort Camilla from October 31 to November 3, 2023.

Against the visit's backdrop, some Kenyans suggested that the City Governor was basically 'cleaning up his house' ahead of the high-level visit, a tradition common in African households.

Popular X (formerly Twitter) influencer Bravin Yuri was among the first to connect the hawking directive to the impending visit, saying, "King Charles III and Queen Camilla are visiting next week na lazima wageni wakikuja, tuwafurahishe. Wakishaenda, tutawaambia ‘Hata mimi nilisomeshwa na pesa ya Chapo smokie. You can continue hawking.’”

"Eleweni Governor Johson Sakaja. Hawezi waambia ni juu ya wageni..."

Despite the sentiment, Sakaja's proposal was roundly celebrated by a huge section of Kenyans who seemed to echo his thoughts saying that hawkers had become an endemic menace in the streets and that clearing up alleys and pathways was an exercise whose time had come.

One such X user stated: "Guys hating on @SakajaJohnson but I support this. Why are pedestrians being forced to walk on roads competing with bodas, cars and lorries? Hawkers have taken over sidewalks in their entirety in some areas! They operate with total impunity and have literally taken over the city! Time to tame them!"

For years now, Nairobi hawkers have become an almost permanent headache in successive City Hall regimes and attempts to control them have, many a times, proved problematic.