Nairobi County has introduced a set of major reforms targeting businesses and street operations in the Central Business District (CBD), following a benchmarking visit to Rajkot, India.
Chief Environment Officer Geoffrey Mosiria revealed that the county government will begin removing hawkers from the CBD and will increase the number of CCTV cameras installed in the area to enhance surveillance and law enforcement.
Speaking after returning from India, Mosiria said Nairobi plans to control and regulate illegal street hawking within the city centre by creating and enforcing new clear-cut policies.
According to the new plans, hawkers will only be allowed to operate in designated areas and during specific hours.
“In India, I saw how effective city management can be. Their city is extremely clean because hawkers are not allowed to operate within the CBD,” Mosiria said.
“They have surveillance cameras everywhere, and if someone is caught hawking in restricted areas, they are arrested and their goods are confiscated for 30 days.
Perishable goods are taken to shelters for the homeless. That system is working well, and we want to adopt the same approach in Nairobi.”
He emphasized that one of the key takeaways from his visit was the Indian city’s ability to manage urban heat and maintain cleanliness. He expressed admiration for how well-kept and organized Rajkot appeared and promised to apply similar strategies to improve Nairobi.
Mosiria reiterated the county’s intention to enforce order by developing new policies to guide hawker operations. “There’s so much we’ve learnt. We’re going to work on policies that control how hawkers operate,” he said.
“They should not be blocking walkways in the CBD. They will be required to work in officially designated spaces and within limited time frames.”
Apart from hawker management, Mosiria also highlighted plans to improve Nairobi’s garbage handling.
He praised Rajkot’s system of sorting waste at the source and said Nairobi will begin using a similar method to improve efficiency and cleanliness.
He also outlined the county’s plans to restore and clean the Nairobi River. This will involve creating green recreational spaces and planting more trees along the riverbanks to help cool the city and improve the environment.
He noted that Nairobi’s high temperatures are partly caused by too many buildings covering the ground and not enough green spaces.
“To deal with the rising heat, we must rethink our construction models and plant more trees,” he said.
In terms of noise pollution, Mosiria promised continued enforcement of existing rules that ban clubs from operating near residential areas unless they soundproof their premises.
This step is part of efforts to ensure city residents can live in quieter and more peaceful neighborhoods.
Finally, Mosiria announced a city-wide expansion of CCTV camera installations. The cameras will be used to catch individuals who engage in illegal dumping of waste or who damage public property.
“We will invest in surveillance technology and install CCTV cameras across Nairobi. This will help us track and identify people who dump garbage illegally or vandalise structures,” he said.
The proposed changes aim to make Nairobi a cleaner, safer, and more organized city, drawing inspiration from best practices observed in Rajkot, India.
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