Nairobi County officials suspended amid harassment allegations in CBD

Nairobi County officials suspended amid harassment allegations in CBD

Amid a surge in reported incidents of harassment targeting traders, motorists, and business owners in Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD), three senior Nairobi County Government officers have been suspended.

Amid a surge in reported incidents of harassment targeting traders, motorists, and business owners in Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD), three senior Nairobi County Government officers have been suspended. The suspended officers are Security and Compliance Chief Officer Tony Kimani, Director of City Inspectorate Benjamin Omondi, and Assistant Director of Operations Carol Njuguna. The suspensions, effective immediately, were announced by Nairobi County Secretary and Head of Public Service Patrick Analo on Wednesday.

The decision comes after a series of events and investigations into recent incidents across the city involving traders and business owners. In response to the suspensions, Eva Wariuko will act as the Security and Compliance Chief Officer, while William Kangogo will serve as the acting Director of City Inspectorate.

The move follows heavy criticism of Nairobi County government askaris last month for their crackdown on street food hawkers, resulting in a trail of destruction. Images circulated online showed vandalized trollies and destroyed wares of smokie-mayai vendors. The crackdown sparked condemnation, with some blaming Governor Johnson Sakaja's administration for the chaos.

Governor Sakaja responded by ordering the immediate release of all confiscated items and personally compensating affected traders with Sh10,000 each. He acknowledged the regrettable nature of the events and pledged to take action against those found responsible.

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