Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and his administration has come under criticism following the viral video showing a child belonging to a female hawker locked up in a county vehicle by Nairobi county askaris.
While it remains unclear whether the city inspectorate and revenue collection employees, commonly known as kanjos are the ones who placed the child in the vehicle, the undated video shows the child attempting to reach out to the mother.
The askaris had reportedly confiscated the hawker’s merchandise for illegal hawking.
The merchandise, along with the child can be seen inside the vehicle, with the child crying out for help.
The hawker is also seen screaming emotionally in a desperate attempt to have both her baby and the merchandise released by the askaris.
The incident which happened along Nairobi’s Tom Mboya street attracted a sizeable crowd that responded to the hawker’s desperate screams.
Crowd attracted by screams
The crowd blocked the vehicle from being driven away, demanding that the child who was not at fault be released from the vehicle.
Amid the screams, a county askari can be heard asserting that it is the hawker who placed the child in the vehicle.
“We ndiye umemweka (ndani ya gari),” the official can be heard saying.
The child was eventually removed from the vehicle by one of the officers.
Outrage over child locked in kanjo vehicle
Among those who reacted to the video is former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko who shared the clip and attempted to intervene on Saturday.
Sonko claimed that Governor Johnson Sakaja was not responding to calls despite the urgency of the matter.
Mike Sonko: Wewe Governor from jana hushiki simu. Piga sherehe na upige works at the same time. This nonsense must stop with immediate effect.
BOSO: Serikali ya mama mboga inapigisha mama mboga nduru.
Jirani: This is too low from those county officials sasa mtoto unamfungia amefanya nini?
Babu Owino: Yaani tumefika hapa Kama Nairobians? Hata watoto wa watu wanakuwa abducted na Kanjo!! A City of disorder.
Steve Mbugz: This is appalling and unacceptable.
Ahmedkadar: Where is Nairobi Governor? In 2025, he’s yet to report for duty? Apart from the city being dirty and dark, the city’s informal workers are having it rough. Did the governor give up? Wake up to meet the rising sun….