Sakaja vows to clean CBD, clear parking boys

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja scrubbing the streets during the CBD cleanup exercise on September 15, 2025./COURTERSY

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja says the county will not relent in its quest to reign in order in the Central Business District (CBD).

Sakaja says other than the regular cleanup, the county, in collaboration with the National Police Service, is escalating a security swoop to clear streets of criminal activities.

“We are restoring order through cleaning the city, clearing dens that would harbour criminal activities, and increasing the brightness in the CBD through dealing with vandalism of lighting infrastructure as well as increasing the number of lights,” he said.

Speaking to the Star on Sunday night after joining the regular cleanup exercise, the Nairobi County boss said his administration has registered remarkable progress in restoring order to the city centre.

“The police have been cooperating, and cases reported have significantly reduced. We will not relent in restoring order and having vibrancy in the CBD,” Sakaja said.

There have also been several complaints about the menace caused by parking boys who demand cash from motorists as security on top of the parking fee paid to the county.

Many motorists have often been compelled to pay the illegal levy lest their cars be either damaged or some parts, such as side mirrors, disappear.

The parking boys also operate with impunity to the extent that they double park, and others take over slots that they ‘reserve’ and only provide services to those who pay them directly, thereby denying the county revenue.

Among the streets ‘taken over’ by the parking boys include Kenyatta Avenue, Standard Street, Wabera Street, Muindi Mbingu Street, Koinanage Street, Moi Avenue, City Hall Way, Taifa Road, Banda Street among others.

Sakaja now says no one will be spared in the ongoing operation while warning, “The issue of parking boys is also being tackled at this level.”

The Nairobi boss also announced that his government will commence an exercise to register the young people who swarm the streets mainly over the weekends to take pictures.

“We will also register all the young people who I allowed to be taking photos in the CBD and ensure they are identifiable and can be accountable for on specific streets for the safety of all residents.”

On the matatu and bodaboda menace, Sakaja says county enforcement officers working in collaboration with police will enforce the law.

Among the measures include regulating the number of PSVs and boda boda riders who access their CBD at a given time and also mandatory wearing of reflector jackets.

“Ensuring adherence to laws on matatus and boda boda with the number of vehicles from each Sacco in the CBD at any one time,” he added.

Last week the county staged a joint operation with Kenya Power and the National Police Service, where an unlawful power station was flagged and dismantled.

According to the governor, the unlawful setup not only compromised the city's power grid but also interfered with security infrastructure, including CCTV networks and street lighting, which in turn, made it easier for gangs to perpetrate crime in the dark.

"Together with the National Police Service, we have launched sustained joint operations to stamp out these crimes. Over the weekend, several suspects were apprehended, and investigations are ongoing," Sakaja said last Monday.