Beggars to be kicked out of Nairobi CBD from Thursday

The Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) has been declared a no-go zone for beggars from Thursday, May 17.

City Hall in collaboration with Nairobi Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) will from Thursday begin an operation to flush out beggars most of whom are persons with disabilities placed at certain points within the Capital.

Beggars found in the streets will be arrested and taken to a designated places while those found engaging in illegal activities could be taken to court.

According to County Executive in-charge of Education Janet Muthoni Ouko, those arrested will be taken to Waithaka Rehabilitation Centre in Dagoreti.

“What has attracted the attention of Nairobians is the influx of beggars especially disabled ones within the CBD and now we will no longer allow them to operate in the city,” said Ms. Ouko.

“To make it worse, most of the beggars are not Kenyans most of whom are being used by businessmen to extort Kenyans through instilling empathy.”

Ms. Ouko noted that there is a building in Eastleigh estate where unscrupulous businessmen operate from and decide how to deploy the beggars.

The crackdown is set to be carried out in Ngara, downtown Nairobi, Moi Avenue, Tom Mboya Street and Temple Street.

Supporting the crackdown, NCPWD Chairman Mohammed Gabbow said most of the disabled beggars in the city are not registered with the council.

“The beggars in the City are foreigners, and they need to be flushed out. Those who are Kenyans should sign with NCPWD for them to benefit from the programmes put in place with the National and County Governments. However, the flush out should be carried out in a humane manner,” said Gabbow.

This comes amid plans by the Nairobi County Government to kick out hawkers as well as boda boda and matatu operators from the city centre in a bid to enhance security and restore sanity in the city.