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Mosiria hints at fresh crackdown on hawkers after seeing how Germany keeps its streets orderly
16th September, 2026 12:33 PM
Nairobi County Chief Officer for Customer Engagement Geoffrey Mosiria has hinted at tougher measures against hawkers operating in the city centre after witnessing the orderly streets of Munich, Germany.
Speaking from Munich on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, Mosiria said Nairobi could achieve a similar level of order if hawkers operating in the Central Business District (CBD) were moved to designated back lanes, while other road users also adhered strictly to traffic rules.
“If we embrace this in Nairobi, hawkers must stay in back lanes or they leave operating in CBD,” Mosiria said.
Mosiria used his experience in Munich to illustrate the kind of order he would like to see replicated in Nairobi, pointing to the apparent absence of traffic officers directing motorists at intersections.
He observed that motorists, cyclists and scooter riders appeared to understand and obey traffic rules without requiring officers to physically direct them through the roads.
Behind him, cars could be seen moving along the streets while cyclists and scooter riders waited for the traffic lights to turn green before proceeding.
“There are no traffic officers on the roads. There are no people to direct others,” Mosiria said, marvelling at the way road users appeared to follow the rules.
He further challenged Nairobi motorists and other road users to adopt similar discipline, arguing that the city would become significantly more orderly if everyone played their part.
“Bodaboda, follow rules and stop using the wrong side of the road. Matatus also follow traffic rules; everyone to follow rules, Nairobi will be an amazing city,” he said.
The county official also turned his attention to one of Nairobi’s persistent environmental problems, illegal dumping, after observing the apparent cleanliness of the German city.
Mosiria noted that there were no obvious dustbins along the section of Munich he was filming, yet he did not see people throwing rubbish indiscriminately onto the streets.
“And we stop illegal dumping. And here you can see there are no dustbins; people know not to dump anyhow,” he said.
His observation appeared to contrast the situation he has frequently encountered in Nairobi, where indiscriminate dumping has contributed to waste management challenges in some parts of the capital.
Mosiria also used the opportunity to address the organisation of public transport, drawing attention to what he described as the absence of cartels in Munich’s transport industry.
“There are no cartels here in the matatu industry, and it seems all matatus and public transport is managed by the government,” he said.
He went on to argue that the presence of cartels in Nairobi’s public transport sector makes efforts to impose order more difficult.
“Lack of order comes when we have cartels managing public transport as they will always make it difficult,” Mosiria said.
His comments brought together several of the issues that have long featured in discussions about the management of Nairobi, including street vending, public transport, traffic discipline and waste disposal.
Rather than focusing solely on infrastructure, Mosiria placed considerable emphasis on the behaviour of residents and road users, urging Nairobians to embrace rules and maintain order in their everyday activities.
“Nairobi and its people, please know that when I urge you to follow rules, this is the kind of city I envision,” Mosiria said.
Author
Steve Ireri
Steve is a senior writer with over four years of experience in digital journalism. His focus is on the showbiz and human interest stories. Emails: [email protected] , [email protected]
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