Nakuru County enforcement officers are once again on the spot for harassment within the Nakuru CBD.
The officers on Tuesday were found harassing matatu operators and business persons within the CBD near Prestige Shuttle with claims of obstructing.
The presence of journalists who were filming the whole drama did not deter the rogue county askaris from executing their ill deals.
The officers some in uniform while others in civilian even went ahead to threaten the journalists who were filming the whole drama.
One officer was heard telling an operator, “utajua mimi ni nani” (you will know who I am).
This is not the first time that the officers are harassing locals within Nakuru’s CBD with those arrested having to part with some money ranging from Sh500 to Sh1000 to avert being arraigned in Municipal Court at the county headquarters.
However, what worries locals and more so business persons is that the enforcement officers are doing so while the county government of Nakuru under the leadership of Governor Lee Kinyanjui has remained silent.
Nakuru Town Activist Simon Ole Nasieku says the trend is worrying and that the rogue county askaris are also targeting the mobile small scale traders and hawkers in town.
According to Nasieku who narrated how a female elderly hawker was harassed and shamelessly undressed by the county askaris, if the trend goes on they will organize mega demonstrations to push the county to take action.
“If the county will not address this matter we are going to mobilize a huge demonstration of matatu operators, motorbike operators and hawkers up to the county headquarters,” said Nasieku.
Last month when the matter came up, this writer visited and had an interview with the then Chief Officer Public Service Anne Njenga.
To the surprise of many, the officer claimed that there were no enforcement officers or County askaris on duty without a uniform or county badge or name tag.
Njenga even went ahead to claim that if there are officers operating and harassing business persons then they are those casuals who were stopped and that they are no longer recognized by the county.