- Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan has called for an end to alleged harassment and arbitrary arrests of traders in Eastleigh and Gikomba.
- Hassan wants Nairobi City County to stop the alleged seizure and destruction of traders’ merchandise.
- The MP has urged the county to engage traders on enforcement measures and hold officers implicated in misconduct accountable.
Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan has accused Nairobi City County enforcement officers of harassing traders and seizing their stock in Eastleigh and Gikomba, and he wants the operations stopped. He made the appeal on Sunday, November 1, 2026, while speaking in Eastleigh.
Hassan alleged that the county’s askaris intimidate small traders, arrest them arbitrarily, seize their merchandise and destroy goods during raids in the two markets. He called such conduct unacceptable and said it must end immediately. Any officer found to have abused their powers, he added, should answer for it.
His concern centres on how fragile many of these businesses are. Times are hard for small enterprises, he noted, and many of them put food on family tables and give others work. For mama mboga and hawkers in particular, losing a day’s stock can mean a household has nothing to live on.
Hassan also made an economic case. Eastleigh and Gikomba are among Nairobi’s busiest trading centres, and the businesses there pay money into county coffers. In his view, that makes traders partners in the city’s growth and not targets for scare tactics.
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He did not oppose enforcement itself. County rules should be applied, he said, and order kept in the capital. However, he argued that officers must act fairly, respectfully and humanely when they do so.
The county, in his view, has better options for dealing with licensing and trading space. Talking to traders and their representatives would allow both sides to agree on workable solutions that protect livelihoods and the city’s interests alike.
In all, Hassan listed four demands. He wants the alleged harassment and arbitrary arrests to stop at once. He also wants an end to the alleged unlawful seizure and destruction of property. In addition, he asked the county to open talks with traders and to hold accountable any officer implicated in misconduct.
Hassan said he will keep pressing the relevant authorities until traders in Kamukunji see their concerns addressed.
By correspondent
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