On Wednesday, April 16, Nairobi Chief Officer for Environment, Geoffrey Mosiria, uncovered a disturbing practice involving hawkers at Green Park in Nairobi.
Mosiria revealed that several hawkers had been using public toilets within the park to hide and store their food items, raising serious concerns over public health and hygiene.
According to Mosiria, the hawkers were not only stashing food in the washrooms but were also openly cooking within the park — a practice that goes against the city’s environmental and safety regulations.
This behavior, he warned, poses a high risk of contamination and disease transmission, especially in a city still dealing with a recent cholera outbreak.
Exclusive video footage obtained by Newshub.co.ke captured Mosiria moving from one toilet to another inside the park, revealing items like soda, bottled water, milk, and coolers that had been hidden inside the washrooms, ready to be sold to unsuspecting customers.
When questioned by Mosiria, most of the hawkers struggled to justify their actions. Some offered excuses that seemed dishonest, while others appeared caught off guard.
In one incident, a man claiming to be innocent said he was only waiting for a truck to come and collect their goods.
However, Mosiria was unconvinced and ordered the immediate arrest of several hawkers involved in the illegal storage.
He also directed the arrest of the individuals managing the toilets, suspecting they were working hand-in-hand with the hawkers in this unlawful arrangement.
“During my routine environmental inspection at Green Park today, I was shocked to find that hawkers had not only invaded the area but were also cooking openly and using public toilets to hide their merchandise,” Mosiria said during the operation.
“I took swift action to bring order and enforce the city’s environmental regulations. Our goal is to protect our green spaces and ensure they remain clean, safe, and sustainable for all Nairobi residents,” he added.
Apart from the arrests, Mosiria also instructed officials to confiscate all the goods that had been stored unlawfully.
This shocking incident comes at a time when the country is battling a cholera outbreak that has already claimed lives and infected dozens.
Just days before this crackdown, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale confirmed that Kenya had recorded 97 cholera cases and six deaths as of Sunday, April 6.
Duale’s statement on April 8 revealed that the outbreak had affected Nairobi, Kisumu, and Migori counties. In Nairobi alone, twelve cases and one death had been reported.
The most affected areas within the capital include Kasarani, Embakasi East, Embakasi Central, Roysambu, Kibra, and Dagoretti South.
Migori County has reported the highest number of cases so far, with 53 infections and one death. The worst-hit areas in Migori are Suna East, Suna West, Kuria East, and Kuria West. Meanwhile, Kisumu has seen 32 reported cases and four deaths, mainly from the Nyando and Muhoroni sub-counties.
Cholera is a severe disease caused by eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated with the Vibrio cholerae bacteria. It leads to intense diarrhoea and dehydration and can kill within hours if not treated promptly.
The illegal food storage in toilets and open cooking in public spaces could further fuel the outbreak if not addressed quickly.
Authorities are now under pressure to increase surveillance and take stronger action to protect public health, especially in areas already affected by the cholera crisis.
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