Nairobi County ‘Kanjos’ on the Spot for Demanding Sex from Traders in Exchange for Hawking Space in the CBD
Earlier this year in January, the Nairobi County Government banned street hawking on main streets and roads within the Central Business District (CBD), an order that saw hawkers prohibited from operating on main streets to backstreets and lanes.
However, rogue county askaris, popularly known as ‘kanjos’ are being accused by female hawkers who say they are sexually harassed by the kanjos, who are demanding sex in exchange for illegal hawking spaces in the CBD.
”When a kanjo asks you for sex and you decline, your troubles in Nairobi CBD begin. You are frequently arrested, and fabricated charges are levelled against you. Many helpless women have given up business because of this,” a female hawker says.
Hawkers are permitted to operate only along the backstreets connecting Tom Mboya Street to Kirinyaga Road.
However, selling is strictly prohibited on key roads, including Haile Selassie Avenue, Kenneth Matiba Road, Latema Road, Ronald Ngala Street, Mfangano Street, Hakati Road, and River Road.
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