How Nairobi’s women hawkers risk it all to make ends meet
Matatu drivers operating along Mfangano Street under Manchester Sacco face long delays navigating through the disorganised city. Trips that should take minutes up to Ngara on Thika Road can drag on for hours.
Navigating Nairobi’s streets in the evening is a struggle for residents boarding public transport, especially in the city centre.
Crowded roads are congested with pedestrians and hawkers competing for space, while motorists find it difficult to pass through. Among them are women hawkers spreading their goods along busy streets to earn a living.
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A recent walk along Mfangano, Tom Mboya, and Ronald Ngala streets by The Eastleigh Voice revealed the city’s chaotic state and the failure of Governor Johnson Sakaja to implement clear plans for settling hawkers or establishing proper matatu pick-up and drop-off points.
Serphine Wangui, who we met selling fruits at the junction of Mfangano Street and Luthuli Avenue, said she knows the risks to her life and that of her child but remains undeterred.
“We have to live and pay our bills. We are like nomads because if a vehicle is passing, you have to move your merchandise off the road and then put it back,” said Wangui.
She added, “Nobody wants us here. The authorities and shop owners say we block customers, but what choice do we have?”
Pedestrians navigate narrow walking paths along Mfangano Street. (Photo: Barack Oduor)
Matatu drivers operating along Mfangano Street under Manchester Sacco face long delays navigating the disorganised city. Trips that should take minutes up to Ngara on Thika Road can drag on for hours.
Commuters, like Delvine Musyoki, said the situation is an eyesore and urged the governor to prioritise serious urban planning.
“The streets are so congested that it’s difficult to board vehicles, and there is a real risk of robbery,” warned Musyoki.
Amid the chaos, hawkers and Nairobi County askaris, popularly known as Kanjo, engage in constant confrontations along streets, including Ronald Ngala and Latema. The hawkers complain of ongoing harassment, arbitrary arrests and bribe demands by Kanjo that disrupt their livelihoods.
Speaking to The Eastleigh Voice, Bunge La Wananchi Chairperson Robert Kiberenge said the situation could worsen if not addressed.
Kiberenge called for designated trading spaces to avoid blocking pedestrian and vehicular access.
“The county cleared main highways, but hawkers were pushed into backstreets where movement is just as impossible,” Kiberenge said.
Hawkers risk their lives by displaying their goods too close to pedestrian lanes and traffic routes. (Photo: Barack Oduor)
Despite repeated eviction efforts by successive county governments, hawker relocations have failed. Heavy-handed crackdowns have not provided a lasting solution.
Past administrations, including under former Governor Evan Kidero, struggled with the problem. Even local representatives raised concerns, but motions to address it stalled.
According to former Nairobi Town Clerk Philip Kisia, the hawker menace was a safety risk, highlighting that congestion creates an environment where thieves operate under cover.
“This situation is unfair to shop owners who pay levies while hawkers do not. Many roads and estates like Ngara are overwhelmed, with hawkers blocking entrances and creating security fears for residents,” Kisia added.
During his 2022 gubernatorial campaign, Sakaja promised not to displace hawkers but to allocate alternative trading spots.
In 2024, he allowed hawking in the CBD only after 4:00 pm and permitted weekend pop-up markets upon payment of fees.
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