The gamblers on downtown Nairobi Streets target pedestrians. /CFM-FILE.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 7 – Nairobi County Government has now embarked on an exercise to revoke licenses of street gambling artists due to increased fraud.
The Trade department said it arrived on the decision to revoke the licenses following advice from the Security and Compliance Department, following numerous complaints from the members of the public.
City Hall Director of Security and Compliance Joseph Kipsang on Friday said the artists have been violating terms and conditions of their licenses and resorted to conning unsuspecting clients.
He said some of them acquired licenses indicating they are vendors or single business permits only to turn into con artists.
“They apply for licenses indicating that they are venturing into business only to end up robbing people on the streets,” Kipsang said.
He revealed that women and youth are the biggest victims in the well-choreographed con game.
Inspectorate officers operating in and out of the Central Business District have subsequently been given directives to arrest and avail for identification all individuals operating as street gamblers, commonly known as PataPotea.
Areas targeted in the crackdown include Kenya Cinema and its environs, Luthuli Avenue, Ronald Ngala, National Archives, OTC Bus Station and Koja.
He called on anyone who are aware of any officer working with street gamblers to report to the Inspectorate Department at City Hall.
Two men were lynched by a mob in December last year for allegedly conning a woman of her money after luring her into street gambling. She is said to have lost Sh40,000.
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