The Nairobi City County Government has announced stringent new measures regulating hawking activities within the Central Business District (CBD), in an effort to maintain order and ensure pedestrian safety. The directive, issued on January 6, 2025, by Acting County Secretary and Head of County Public Service, Godfrey K. Akumali, designates backstreets and lanes as the only permissible zones for hawkers during specific hours.
According to the public notice, hawking of merchandise within the CBD will now only be allowed on backstreets and lanes between 4 PM and 10 PM from Monday to Saturday. “The designated backstreets are within the zone from Tom Mboya Street to Kirinyaga Road,” the notice stated.
Main streets and roads, including Moi Avenue, Haile Selassie Avenue, Kenneth Matiba Road, Latema Road, Ronald Ngala Street, Mfangano Street, Hakati Road, and River Road, have been declared off-limits for hawking activities. Furthermore, the county government emphasized that all walkways in the CBD are exclusively reserved for pedestrian use and are not to be used for trading purposes.
“This is a deliberate measure to restore order and ensure the free flow of human traffic in the city’s busiest areas,” Akumali stated. The directive underscores that any contravention of these regulations will result in prosecution under Nairobi City County by-laws.
The county’s leadership urged hawkers to comply with the new rules, as they are designed to strike a balance between providing space for informal traders and ensuring smooth operations for pedestrians and businesses in Nairobi’s bustling CBD. “The general public is asked to take note that anyone contravening this notice will be prosecuted,” the statement concluded.
