— Cry for fair trade —
On the subject of the reported brutality of City Askaris, Mwangi recalled “thoroughly” being beaten by them and then denied medical care. “When my brother came to take me to hospital, he was put in custody for 6 hours. I was not taken to hospital.”
“The following day I was taken to court where I was charged with 4 counts and fined Sh2,000 for each totaling Sh8,000.”
READ: Hawkers Diaries: We are victims of corruption
Just like the many hawkers who interacted with Capital FM News as part of the Hawkers Diaries series interviews, Mwangi is willing to pay an operating fee if given a chance.
“Let them( authorities) reclaim our markets that have been grabbed first,” he said. “We shall gladly pay for the space allocated and any other fee. Our dignity will have been restored.”
In a bid to demand for recognition by the authorities as traders, hawkers have pooled under the City Street Vendors Association.
The Association’s Secretary Winnie Nduku says they formed the lobby to amplify the plight of hawkers in Nairobi, who are largely seen as a problem.
“The organisation was formed to enable hawkers to come together with a main goal of understanding their challenges, to voice their challenges and to feel a sense of importance within the community,” she said.
The organisation also documents cases of brutality and offences perpetuated against their members, who in most cases have resorted to paying bribes to secure their freedom.
“We have not yet exposed most of the brutality since of our resources are meager but the situation is bad,” she said.
According to Nduku, many hawkers spend months in jail for failure to raise the required amount in fines.
READ: Hawkers Diaries: I quit being a hawker after my friend was killed
In case one admits of being guilty of dumping, the maximum penalty is two years behind the bars or a fine of Sh1 million.
“Our laws are still colonial in nature, petty offenders are heavily fined while the big thieves are protected from even being investigated. Is it a crime if one is poor?” a visibly gloomy Nduku posed.
“Most are arrested for selling in undesignated places but the charges are increased to punish you for failing to bribe them,” she claimed.
The City Street Vendors Association Director Kimani Waweru terms their challenges as political “since it is the politicians who can address them.”
“They have to act with speed because this problem cannot be wished away, we cannot continue to bury our head in the sand. It is a time bomb that can explode anytime.”
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