This archive report was first published on 19 August 2019.
On a Tuesday evening in August 2019, a journalist, who writes for the Star newspaper, was arrested by City Hall's Rhino Squad while waiting for a bus at OTC in Nairobi.
He had been waiting for about 30 minutes, and was leaning against a pillar when a group of five well-built men, who were later identified as members of the Rhino Squad, roughed him up and pushed him into a city county van.
He was taken to the furthest corner of the van, where three gentlemen were squatting, and saw four armed police officers in AP uniforms, two seated on each side of the van, and two county officers, a man and a woman.
The woman asked him who he was and where he came from, and he declared his three names and his home county.
Looking at the three gentlemen, he realised they were hawkers arrested for trading their wares on 'hallowed grounds.'
One of the police officers asked him what he did for a living, but he decided to keep quiet, only demanding to know why he had been arrested.
The female county officer then told him to hand over Sh3,000 'to secure his freedom', or 'spend the night at Central police station while waiting to be charged at City Hall tomorrow morning.'
A friend of his sent a text saying Jogoo Road was locked with traffic after President Uhuru Kenyatta visited Embakasi, and he decided to relax and see what became of his arrest.
After nagging the officers to tell him why he had been apprehended, one of the five men who roughed him up insisted, with agitation, that he was hawking in a prohibited place.
This was when reality dawned - he was arrested yet he was not a hawker, something that must happen to many Nairobians.
He kept quiet, but the woman started negotiating with him, and he told her he didn't have money, but she emphasised that he would spend the night at Central.
He stood his ground and told her that he would not pay because he was not a hawker.
Seemingly curious about his firmness, one of the officers asked what he did for a living, and he demanded that he open his bag so he could find his umbrella and lunch box.
A debate ensued between the officers on whether he was a hawker.
One of the officers asked him where he was going, and he replied, 'Umoja.'
At this point, the price of his freedom dropped to Sh1,000, and he was told that he should hurry because they were about to close for the day.
He looked at his watch and realised it was almost 9 pm - he had been in the uncomfortable van for about two hours.
He decided to advance the conversation with the female officer, whom he realised was from his home county, and introduced himself to her and told her what he did.
Surprised by his explanation, she asked her colleagues to let him go.
The men explained that he looked like a hawker, given his black trench coat and backpack, and so how were they to dress so they wouldn't be mistaken for hawkers?
The rest was history, but what lingered in his mind was that innocent Nairobians were being harassed with trumped-up charges.
Today, he asked who the men were, and he was told they were members of City Hall's Rhino Squad.
Head of Operations Peter Mbaya confirmed the existence of the squad, but said it was part of the police service, not City Hall.
Mbaya however said that when Governor Mike Sonko formed the anti-mugging squad to counter crime, this group was incorporated to help county officers.
At times, they conduct joint operations, and the squad has been in existence since former President Daniel arap Moi's era.
