Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has termed as a mere PR gimmick a move by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to compensate street vendors who were manhandled by city askaris on Wednesday.
The governor who is in France for a global school feeding summit termed the incident "most unfortunate" and apologised by appeasing the traders with Sh10,000 each.
"This is not the way to treat Nairobians as we have continually implored our officers to treat Nairobians with Dignity," Sakaja said via his X handle.
The vendors were thrown off the streets and their trolleys seized by city inspectorate officers for allegedly not having Medical certificates from Public Health that every food handler must have.
"I have ordered the immediate release of all confiscated items, apologised to the traders and personally compensated each of them to the tune of 10,000 shillings each," Sakaja said.
But Babu dismissed the gesture as nothing short of a Public Relations gimmick and questioned why Sakaja took ages to respond to the incident.
The outspoken MP further observed that the county askaris likely acted on the express orders of their boss, the governor.
"Hizi PR ndogo ndogo wachana nazo. Kanjo can’t act without your orders. Respect the hustlers," Babu said.
"This operation took the whole day, why didn't you stop it in the morning even after you were informed?" he posed.
Photos and videos shared on social media showed city askaris carting away hand carts belonging to street food vendors in a lorry.
The law enforcers spilt some of the food on the street drawing condemnation from a section of Kenyans.
Presidential Council of Economic Advisors David Ndii faulted Sakaja for backtracking on his pre-campaign pledge and flashing hawkers out of the CBD.
"Street vendors are on streets because that's where customers are," he said.
