A woman on Wednesday was left “humiliated” after she peed on herself at the OTC public toilet when she found it closed following a stand off in management.
The lady who came running to the public toilet which has been serving thousands in the busy bus terminus was shocked to find a padlock at the gate.
Investigation by the star revealed that politicians are at the centre of the ongoing standoff as efforts to control the lucrative business that continue to hurt city residents.
The two-week stand off between politicians, toilet proprietors and youth groups has resulted to the closure of four public toilets that include two in Muthurwa market, OTC and number eight(next to Bishop Wanjiru's church).
“Criminal gangs have regrouped and they are getting to the city through the toilets which are strategically placed in various points. What do you think over 200 boys will be doing inside the toilets,”said an insider in the ongoing standoff.
The source who spoke anonymously said the youth were those sponsored by MCAs and MPs in the city and are demanding jobs after a job well done.
He added that the youths are demanding Sh2million from the owners if they are to reopen the toilets.
Starehe MP Charles Kanyi aka Jaquar told the Star that the toilets were closed over insecurity after youths stormed various toilets claiming to have registered to run them.
Kanyi who denied to have been involved in the mobilizing the youths said that he had spearheaded the ending of the fights that begun in Muthurwa and Bus Station public toilets.
Among the youths fighting are those from Ngara, Muthurwa,Bus Station,Baba Ndogo,Kayole,Marikiti among others.
The Starehe MP denied demanding Sh60,000 per month from all the city toilets after allegations claimed that he will be receiving the amount from proprietors.
The groups are said to bring jitters among the business communities which have been given notice to start payment of protection fees.
This came following a circular dated January 8th by the Nairobi county giving a notice to all proprietors to vacate the public toilet upon expiry of leases on March 30th.
“To this effect it has been decided that henceforth public toilets will be managed by youth groups as a way of employment creation and youth empowerment county government therefore in the process of procuring new managers for the toilet under the new policy,”read the circular signed by county secretary Leboo Ole Morintant.
City residents raised concern stating that the move will see the public toilets ran like the past where they were distinctly distasteful and dangerous.
Kanyi said that on the eve of Good Friday,various youth groups regrouped and slept in the toilets waiting to take over the management of the toilet soon after the 30th deadline.
This led to infighting among different groups that saw an opportunity to work in the lucrative business.
Kanyi said that there is an increased tension in the toilets as various groups claim to have the right posing danger to the city residents.
The MP said that the District Commissioner closed the toilets indefinitely and is waiting for the county to settle the matter which has since affected city residents.
He added that the youths will be vetted and proper handing over will be done by the county.
The Central Police Division OCPD Robinson Thuku confirmed that 26 were arrested over the scuffle in the public toilet and police officers stationed in the toilets for security.
Ngara Mca Mwaura Chege too distanced himself with the involvement stating that he did not have a team that is terrorizing toilet operators.
Chege admitted that there is a crisis in the city as the nearest toilet is in Railways saying the county was working to restore sanity.
The city has 18 public toilets and they are not all owned by the county government as they are divided in various categories.
Samuel Karanja a business leader and a toilet proprietor said that the defunct city council in the 1990s was unable to provide sanitation,security and garbage collection services when they involved private entities to partner.
Through private public partnership,the Nairobi Central Business District Association(NCBDA) were allocated various public toilets to either renovate or built a fresh and they would manage them.
NCBDA took over 14 toilets which they invested Sh2.5million per toilet and signed a lease of between 10-30 years as stipulated in the law.
The former government led by Evans Kidero demanded to renew the lease by Sh2million forcing them to go to court.
As the case is ongoing,the county cannot lease the toilets to the said youth groups.
Other toilet owners are the Eko-toilet with eight facilities which after construction were handed to the former regime where top officials in Kidero`s administration took over for a five year lease which expired in 2017.
Businessman Karanja said that the other category include the defunct city council toilets mostly in the market places and five CDF toilets. He said that those demanding the toilet have notion that millions is collected from the business.
Karanja says the toilets make around Sh15,000 per day and after deduction of expenditure, a toilet makes around Sh300,000 a month.
“Water is the major expenditure in this business where we buy two tanks at Sh6,000, workers earn Sh1800 while tissue goes for about Sh3,000 in daily expenses,” he said.
A resident said that if the youths take over, they expect the facilities to have wet slippery floor, awful the stench, and forgo amenities like toilet paper and running water to clean up afterwards and the risk of getting robbed.