Today Johnson Sakaja is the biggest and toughest Kanjo in Nairobi by his own choice. Residents of Kenya’s biggest city thought they were electing a governor to help them address the issues affecting the city and develop the complex city and bring it to new heights.
In fact at the beginning of his term in 2022 I thought he could be a big surprise in the political class who could move the city forward.
Those days Sakaja was talking about how to transform the massive Gikomba market into a modern safe trading center for the residents of the city. He even talked about building a fire fighting station in the market to help deal with the frequent fires that destroy the market every year.
Sakaja talked about dealing with the transport system in the city which affects every resident in the city and also connects Nairobi to areas outside the city that do a lot of trade and contribute in a very big way to the life and economy of the city. He has done none of those things as Nairobi residents know very well.
Another fire destroys property in Gikomba market
December 1st, 2023
So what does Governor Sakaja do? He decides that he is tired of being a failed governor so he becomes the Nairobi Kanjo-in-Chief which probably is a better job for him that meets his qualifications.
According to late media reports, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja issued a stern warning, stating that residents who record county officers, commonly referred to as “kanjos,” during routine enforcement activities risk facing arrest.
Addressing a gathering of officers, Sakaja expressed frustration over the growing trend of citizens and traders resorting to theatrics during county inspections. He argued that such actions hinder law enforcement efforts and disrupt public order in the city.
“Anyone found recording your actions should be detained; it constitutes obstruction of justice,” declared Sakaja, emphasizing the importance of unhindered law enforcement. He also voiced concerns about individuals exploiting recorded footage to sensationalize incidents on social media platforms.
Governor Sakaja stressed the gravity of flouting municipal regulations and resisting arrest, while also highlighting law enforcement’s responsibility to maintain public order. He reassured the officers of his unwavering support and urged them to carry out their duties fearlessly and impartial.
That wasn’t enough for the Kanjo in Chief and this week Sakaja told Nairobi residents that Kanjo Askaris in Nairobi will soon start having body cameras on as they enforce law and order in the capital.
“We will soon introduce body cams for our askaris because many times, only a one-sided story accusing the officers is usually told,” he said.
Speaking during the state of county address at the assembly chambers, the governor said there have been a few cases in the recent past where certain quarters have taken advantage of the kanjo askaris hence hindering enforcement.
Sadly enough this was one of the big announcements for the Chief Kanjo and former governor during the State of the County address to Nairobi residents.
And that was not enough Kenyans will be required to produce their national identity cards to access the newly renovated Uhuru Park.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja Thursday said that the IDs will aid in maintaining security and also keep a record of who is accessing the park.
“When you come in, you will be able to leave your ID. This is for us to make sure we know who is coming in so that we can block the wrong people lazing around in that place,” he said.
Going further, the Governor revealed that there will be a special team which will be deployed at the Park consisting of Inspectorate officers and officers from the National Police Service.
“The special team will guard the park 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year,” Sakaja said.
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Now the idea of people entering Uhuru Park dropping their IDs to Sekaja’s Kanjos at the entrance is kind of super stupid to put it mildly. No Kenyan is going to hand over their ID to any askari to enter Uhuru Park because they know they will never see that ID again.
How about tourists who were supposed to be one of the big reasons Uhuru Kenyatta revived that park to be a place where tourists and visitors in Nairobi will find an open space to enjoy the city? Does Sakaja think that any tourist will hand over their passports to Askaris to enter Uhuru Park? They would rather go to Nairobi National Park.
And the purpose of this insane idea from Sakaja is to keep security at Uhuru Park by making sure bad people don’t go in there. So I give my ID to some askari at the gate and they will know oh this is a very bad guy. Please give Kenyans a little respect Mr. Sakaja.
If Sakaja gets exhausted with his new job and wants to go back to being the governor of Nairobi then his big job at Uhuru Park will be to keep the place clean.
The people who rebuilt that beautiful park which of course was not Sakaja, did a terrific job in cleaning up the whole place and there are so many small parks within Uhuru Park where people will go to have their food and parties with family and friends.
Often such events lead to people dumping a lot of garbage in the park and just leaving it there and in a few months if it is not addressed the park will be covered in cans, bottles, and all sorts of food waste and it just goes downhill from there.
Sakaja should start by having a cleaning crew there every day to clear the park each day and maintain the cleanliness and the neat grass.
Also, Sakaja should get the right department in the city to have garbage collection depots everywhere and encourage park users to put their garbage in the garbage depot in the field, and sooner than later Kenyans will do that because they appreciate the beauty of the park.
Also, control the amount of birthday parties and other such events people will have at the park. Do practical things buddy and Uhuru Park will remain as clean as it is.
Also, the open water lake and other water facilities are huge for those who will come to the park. The one thing I remember always is how my son and his family loved going to that park and the one thing they loved was to jump in those little boats and swing all over while watching the whole city in front of them.
For my son it was even more magnificent for him than the Nairobi National Park which he really liked because of the wildlife, never mind that one day a mother rhino got pissed off with us because we were too close and came charging at full speed and we took off in the car and the guards had told us not go near the rhinos with babies but we just got too excited and had to duck in our car.
So Sakaja should find ways to keep the waterfronts very clean and don’t let people throw garbage into the water.
At the end of the day, Uhuru Park is a very unique facility in a city like Nairobi. I live in Toronto City with a population of more than four million people and so many great public facilities but there is nothing like Uhuru Park.
It is one of the things that has to be preserved and kept clean. Nairobi also is the only city in the world with a national wildlife park (Nairobi National Park) right in the city.
We have to preserve those things. Moi tried to grab Uhuru Park and turn it into a big building for himself and his friends. Thanks to the late Prof. Wangari Maathai he was stopped. Now let’s take it a step further. Those should be some of the ambitions of the Governor of Nairobi City, the beautiful capital of our country. It is a big job and Sakaja has to take it seriously or else.
