Sakaja explains reasons for business tents ban in Nairobi CBD
Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja has said that he banned business tents from operating in the Central Business District (CBD) to tackle congestion and security concerns.
Speaking in an interview on a local radio station on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Sakaja said he has already directed the county authorities to reinforce it.
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“Hii mambo ya kuweka tents CBD, kila mtu ameweka tent kumi, wengine mambo ya masimu. Hii tabia ya kuweka tent ovyo ovyo CBD nilipiga marufuku hata niliambia Wazi. Duale kwamba lazima kuwe na mpangilio tutawapatia mahali maalum ya kufanyia. Ukienda sahii hapo Archives walkways iko sawa,” he said.
“There must be order in the CBD, and we are doing so in all of the CBD kwa sababu haiwezi kuwa kama soko. Jiji kuu lazima iwe kama jiji kuu.”
This is not the first time the county boss has declared a crackdown in the CBD. On October 25, 2023, Sakaja, during a consultative meeting between enforcement officers, hawkers, and executive officers, said that the crackdown will seek to tame hawkers operating within the CBD.
“There will be no hawking on the road. In fact, I’m enforcing it from tomorrow morning, even around the bus station. I will not allow that,” he said.
Sakaja insisted that the law must be followed, and in areas where hawking is prohibited, he will not change his mind on it.
“Nairobi will be a city of order and dignity. There will be no hawking on roads, and that is not negotiable,” he said.
Going further, Sakaja said that the move will not only be for the safety of hawkers who risk their lives selling their commodities on the roads but will also allow motorists to move with ease.
The county boss explained that the areas have been marked for a multi-billion-dollar project, which is aimed at decongesting the city.
“I want to make it clear that on Moi Avenue, there will be no hawking. We have a plan for that area, and investors have brought in money. I’m also looking out for the commuters of CBD who use that lane,” he said.
Sakaja said there needs to be a balance because some of the people who complain about hawkers do it because they demean the work of others.
“On hawkers, we have to balance. There is someone who will complain about hawkers while he is wearing a suit from work to fend for his children, but because he has had a little challenge accessing a matatu home, he will say these hawkers should not be there,” Sakaja said.
“It’s like looking down on someone else’s work. Someone who has decided to earn an honest living instead of becoming a thief.”
He further said the reason the city has continued to experience the hawkers’ challenge is that subsequent administrations failed to build markets for these people.
