This archive report was first published on 12 January 2020.
January 12, 2020
Nairobi's footbridges, once a safe haven for pedestrians, have become a lucrative business for cartels, with traders and beggars renting out space and city officials seemingly turning a blind eye.
Our investigation found that on major thoroughfares such as Mombasa and Jogoo roads, and Thika Highway, a well-organized racket has taken over the footbridges, leaving little to no space for pedestrians.
Traders who have paid for this space claim they have nowhere else to sell their wares, while city officials, including a senior inspector known as Madam Jane, are allegedly collecting rent from these traders.
Madam Jane, who works as a City County inspector, denied any involvement in the racket, claiming that the traders are operating illegally. However, when pressed for further information, she insisted that we visit her office, citing a lack of authority to discuss the matter further on the phone.
Many traders admitted to starting their businesses on the footbridges out of ignorance, citing the lack of notices at the entrances or exits warning against selling on the footbridges.
At the busy Cabanas bus stage on Mombasa Road, traders revealed that city askaris collect rent from them to avoid arrest, while on the busy footbridge at General Motors, boda boda riders reign supreme, carelessly riding across with reckless abandon.
The most affected areas are the footbridges at Ngara and Kahawa Wendani on Thika Highway, where handcart owners push their contraptions on the footbridge to cross the eight-lane road.
According to Charles Njogu, KeNHA's assistant director of communication, the authority is not responsible for policing the footbridges, citing that responsibility belongs to the Nairobi County government.
However, Eva Wairiuko, Nairobi County Security and Compliance Deputy Director (Operations), vowed to take immediate action, stating that the footbridges are meant for pedestrians, not traders, and that it is an illegality.
