Hawker menace fueling growing insecurity within Nairobi environs

Hawkers go about their business on a section of Ngara in Nairobi.[Photo by Edward Kiplimo/Standard]

I have been dismayed by unfortunate incidents within Nairobi’s Central Business District where criminals have robbed residents and visitors going about their businesses.

Everyone is now a target of these criminals and before we know it, the attacks will be severe especially when readily available weapons such as daggers and pistols are involved.

In the incidents captured on video, distressed bystanders are unable to respond to the victims’ pleas for help because the muggers operate in well-calculated moves and are armed.

It is a sad state of affairs that must be addressed immediately lest we negate gains made that have effectively raised our status to the list of top cities around the globe to visit in 2018.

Our offering to visitors ranks way higher than more developed countries, many having better security installations than Nairobi.

Our National Park right inside the city is among our best selling points, earning Nairobi the title of the Safari Capital. Many entertainment establishments have also ensured the city has a vibrant night life – a requirement for the younger and urban tourists.

Add these to the fact that we have attracted global hotel brands such as the Villa Rosa Kempinski and Radisson Blu.

Expected direct connectivity to the United States – which is already a major source of tourists, further raises our profile that we must jealously protect. Before we let criminal elements take that shine away from Nairobi, urgent interventions must be taken to clear this stain.

Measures taken

In trying to address the problem posed by these muggers, let us start from why we left the course. It is easy to heap the blame on high unemployment rates, but joblessness has been with us for a lot longer.

In the months to last year’s elections, there was heightened political activity which involved youth as aspirants sought to drum up support.

Often, the youth accompanied the candidates on the campaign trail that often ended up in running battles with either the police, opposing camps or both.

The ensuing melee provided the perfect environment for petty criminals including pick pockets to steal from innocent people going about their businesses as usual.Fortunately, the campaign period was characterized by heavy deployment of security officers who helped in part fight the threat presented by muggers.But the officers have subsequently been withdrawn with the conclusion of political activity, emboldening the thieves who are now ready to pounce at the earliest possible opportunity.

Getting away in the confusion after they have stolen is evidently very easy. Heavy congestion in the CBD caused in part by the infiltration of informal traders commonly referred to as hawkers, is aiding the thugs in their criminal activities.

I am already engaging the hawkers formally through the Nairobi Chamber of Commerce and Industry to solve that part of the problem. We have called a meeting with the leadership of the informal traders that would work out an amicable exit from the CBD and avert further run-ins and conflict with our partners in the Nairobi County Government.

The solution

Top of our agenda is registration of hawkers and mapping areas where they should be allowed to sell their wares from, with a follow up on enforcement.

In this way, we hope to come up with a short-term intervention as a more permanent solution of establishing a proper market for these traders is pursued.Getting informal traders off the streets would go hand in hand in getting rid of the thieves, at least in part because they are more exposed.

That leaves us with the problem of increasing policing – through additional officers and the utilization of technology such as public and private surveillance cameras.

So far the cameras have not been a very effective tool in identifying the offenders despite being mounted on nearly every building in town. I call upon owners of private buildings to ensure the cameras are working to complement the ones mounted by the government, since most of the mugging incidents occur right on the pedestrian walks in front of shops and offices.

Security officers say they have identified, with the help of closed circuit television footage, one of the masquerading gangs known as 40 brothers.

It is my hope that all the members of the dangerous gang are apprehended soonest, and all residents who have information that could help in their arrest should be encouraged to come forward.

A closer collaboration between the county government and the National Police Service should yield a working relationship to tackle and repulse muggers. It has worked in other cities. It would work here in Nairobi with goodwill from all parties.

Mr Ngatia is the chairman of the Nairobi Chapter of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.