Eastleigh Business owners demand action against hawkers, taxi operators

A busy Kipanga Athumani Street in Eastleigh. (Photo: Abdirahman Khalif)

By Abdirahman Khalif
Monday, February 17, 2025

The business owners warned that if the county government does not take action, they will take the matter to court.

Twenty-two mall owners and property managers along Kipanga Athumani Street in Eastleigh have called on Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja to take action against hawkers and taxi drivers who have occupied the road.

Omar Abdi, the organising secretary of the Eastleigh Business District Association, said the issue has persisted for years.

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He stated that hawkers and taxi drivers have completely blocked the road, making it difficult for people to access the malls and for lorries to offload goods.

Omar noted that the congestion has affected 5,200 shops operating in the malls along this street.

According to Omar, the situation has led to a significant decline in sales for many shop owners. He added that with Ramadan approaching, business owners expect a high number of shoppers, but the blocked entrances have made it difficult for customers to access the malls.

"Shoppers can not come in or go out freely because the illegal taxis parked on the road, the bodabodas, the hawkers who are pooling wheelbarrows and also other structures are on the road, the main road is locked," said Omar.

Mall owners along Eastleigh's Kipanga Athumani Street have appealed to Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja for assistance in clearing the street of hawkers and taxi drivers.

Omar Abdi, the manager of Hong Kong and Bangkok Mall and the organising secretary of the Eastleigh Business… pic.twitter.com/EDu8WB0cTd
— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) February 17, 2025

He further claimed that some of the taxi operators are violent, carrying weapons such as rungus and swords and that they harass business owners when they try to clear space for deliveries.

Omar accused some county officials of allowing the situation to continue for personal gain saying that some city askaris are benefiting from the presence of hawkers, taxis, and bodabodas by permitting them to operate illegally.

"The local county government is giving them permission to do business, allowing illegal trade to continue," he said.

He warned that if the county government does not take action, the business owners will take the matter to court.

Mohamud Yusuf, the chairman of the mall managers on Kipanga Athumani Street, said that they have made several attempts to reach Governor Sakaja including through multiple written letters.

He said they even wrote some letters through the area Member of County Assembly, Ahmedkadar Dabar, but they have not received any response.

"We have written so many letters, but we have not received any answers. Some letters were sent through the MCA, but we do not know if they were delivered to the governor," Mohamud said.

He also noted that the number of hawkers on the street has increased over the past three years. Initially, there were about 1,000 hawkers, but now the number is estimated to have increased four to five times.