•The hawkers will face penalties if found operating outside the designated trading zones, according to the bill.
•Hawkers, especially within the Central Business District, have taken over many streets and many are allegedly involved in crime.
Nairobi City County could introduce flea markets for hawkers twice a week where they will be allowed to sell their products in gazetted areas.
The originator of the Nairobi City County pop-up Markets and Street Vendors Bill, 2019, Mbugua Kabiru, says this will protect hawkers, whom he said have been victims of extortion and harassment by inspectorate officers.
He said the county would designate specific trade zones for specific type of goods ranging from agricultural produce to clothes and even electronics.
The operation time would be communicated to the traders to avoid confrontations with the authorities, he said.
However, hawkers are known to be lawless and have always disregarded city by-laws.
Mbugua said different markets dealing with different products like farm produce, art, electronics and home appliances would operate on different streets and different days.
The Aga Khan Walk parking grounds has been mentioned as a prime target.
"Hawkers have been operating in a way which brings a lot of confusion which has left pedestrians choosing to either walk on the road side since pedestrian pathways have been occupied by hawkers. This bill will bring order and systematic ways of hawking," Kabiro said.
The hawkers will face penalties if found operating outside the designated trading zones, according to the bill.
To shield the hawkers from harsh climatic conditions, special crafted structures would be set up in the designated areas of operation.
The bill, which is currently in its first reading, says that for easier and official identification, the county would license the traders.
Consequently, the county Executive will have to establish a pop-market department that will be in charge of regulating and overseeing how the markets will be operating, the Bill says.
Hawkers, especially within the Central Business District, have taken over many streets and many are allegedly involved in crime.
To control their movement, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko in October, 2017 announced that hawkers will only be allowed to operate within the city centre from 2pm.
But the order, as usual, fell on deaf ears and has never worked.
The Nairobi City County Trade Licensing Act, 2018, which was passed in April by the MCAs, sought to license hawkers and street vendors.
The act says the directorate of trade licensing will be in charge of issuing licences and hawkers will be required to produce their licences on demand for inspection by enforcement officers.
Hawkers within CBD will be required to pay Sh500 per month while those outside CBD will pay Sh30 daily.
Those operating with vehicles will be required to pay an annual fee of Sh15,000 and those without vehicles will Sh7,500.
The current annual fee is Sh5,000. Small informal sector traders like street vendors, shoe shiners and cleaners will still pay the county Sh2,500 annually.
However, the executive has never implemented the the Trade Licensing Act.