Zablon Omollo, a hawker in Thika Town has lamented endless harassment by county government askaris over what he perceives as political victimisation.
Omollo, who has been operating at Mama Ngina Gardens in Thika Town for years, is much known by many because of his business, which involves selling ties, socks and umbrellas.He vied for the Thika Township Ward seat in last year’s general elections as an independent candidate after he failed to clinch the Jubilee Party ticket.Omollo says over the last one month, he has been faced with frequent raids by the county reinforcement officers on his business, something he says he has never experienced before as a hawker in the town.“For the last one month, they have raided my merchandise thrice, two of which were done last week. It seems someone is behind these raids as I am the only target. No one else is being forced to close down apart from me,” said Omollo, as quoted by Thika Town Today.Omollo noted that every time the county askaris raid his business, his goods are confiscated over what the askaris term as ‘illegal hawking’. He, however noted that he never recover them once they are seized. He claimed that he is never allowed to speak to any of the senior officers in the county whenever he attempts to get a clear picture of the issue.“These askaris come here daily and each time warning me that if I don’t close down they will impound my stock or arrest me for illegal hawking. At times either during or after the raid, they are seen communicating with somebody over the phone, raising questions as from whom these orders are coming from and why only me,” he added.