Sakaja should tread carefully on hawkers plan
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja could be courting disaster with his plan to allow hawkers to trade freely in the city’s central business district (CBD). Hawkers and other petty traders often thrive in disorder and confusion. Hopefully, the governor and his team have seriously thought through the challenges and potential benefits from this.
The city county leadership plans to give thousands of hawkers space in the CBD to sell their wares. This, of course, is where some prime businesses are located, with the owners paying premiums in land rates and licences and being taxed, thus boosting national coffers. However, giving hawkers a bit of the cake is a good idea. They will be able to sell their wares and cater for their needs and families’ requirements.
It happens even in other major cities elsewhere in the world. Traders are not allowed to set up permanent structures. They are confined to certain locations. At the end of the business, they tidy up, leaving the streets as clean as they found them. Ideally, such business is done in the evenings when regular shop owners have left for the day.
Governor Sakaja’s plan is a recognition of the fact that every Kenyan of working age should have a legitimate means to earn a living. Law-abiding Kenyans dealing in clean business should be able to operate without fear of harassment.
But there are challenges, key of which is insecurity. There are always criminals lurking behind honest petty traders. Another challenge is maintaining order and a high level of hygiene. The boda boda invasion of the CBD is bound to worsen.
There have been similar experiments in the past. In 2007, a tidy Sh700 million was spent on revamping Muthurwa Market as a solution to the hawker eyesore. It was a short-lived solution.
Governor Sakaja must tread carefully, as this is certainly not the way to make Nairobi an international investment hub and a tourist attraction. Building special hawkers’ markets is a better option as it is easier to control the vendors and provide amenities.
