Hundreds of traders and informal business operators in Eastleigh have been displaced following a government-led operation that cleared the Shaah Macaan section along 12th Street, an area that for years served as a hub for small-scale businesses and evening economic activity.
The operation, carried out by Nairobi City County enforcement officers working alongside national government administrators, including chiefs, has left the once-crowded stretch of road empty after traders, food vendors, boda boda operators and other informal businesses vacated.
The section, which stretches from Equity Bank to the wall surrounding the nearby airbase, had become a major commercial area where hundreds of people eked out a living. Every evening, the road would fill with hawkers occupying different sections of the street to sell a variety of goods and services.
Several women operated small food businesses by dividing sections of the road and setting up plastic chairs where customers could sit and eat. Others built temporary structures that served as shops, while some traders sold miraa and offered shoe-cleaning services.
The area also hosted youth groups running car-washing businesses, while boda boda riders used the location as a stage to pick up and drop off passengers. Several small eateries had extended their operations into road reserves through temporary tents and structures.
However, all these activities ended after authorities moved in and cleared the area.
Structures used by car-wash operators were demolished during the exercise, while tents and other facilities belonging to food vendors were removed. Boda boda operators who had established themselves in the area were also ordered to leave.
The operation has left many traders uncertain about their future and how they will continue earning a living after losing the spaces from which they operated.
Among those affected is boda boda rider Evans Onsomu, who said the area had been his place of work for many years.
“This was my stage for years, but now I am forced to go look for somewhere else, which I am not sure if I will get,” said Onsomu.
Food vendor Amina Abdullahi said the operation had deprived her of her source of income and left many traders without answers about where they should relocate.
“Where do they want to go?” she asked.
Residents and business operators who spoke after the exercise described the transformation of the area as dramatic, noting that a section that used to attract large numbers of traders and customers every evening now remains largely deserted.
The road, which previously hosted rows of food vendors, hawkers, boda boda riders and service providers, is now clear of structures and commercial activity.
According to a senior county enforcement official, who spoke to The Eastleigh Voice on condition of anonymity, the clearance was linked to plans involving the nearby military facility.
The official said the gate located along the wall of the airbase is expected to become operational in the near future and that the road will be used by military personnel and vehicles accessing the facility.
“That gate will soon be operational, and this road will be used by the officers,” the official said.
The explanation has provided some insight into the reasons behind the clearance, although it has done little to ease concerns among traders who have lost their businesses.
For many of those affected, the operation represents the loss of a workplace that supported their daily livelihoods and provided income for their families.
Several traders said they now face the challenge of finding alternative locations from which to operate in an area where space is limited and competition for business opportunities is high.
Comments
Sign in with Google to comment, reply, and like comments.
Continue with Google