Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has urged city residents to help curb crime by reporting and apprehending individuals caught vandalising public infrastructure.

Addressing the press on Monday, September 8, Sakaja said that while the county is working with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the National Police Service (NPS) to boost police presence in the CBD, citizens must also play their part.

He noted that criminals have been intentionally destroying street lighting in the city centre, creating cover for illegal activities.

To support the crackdown, Sakaja announced the launch of a toll-free hotline, 988, where residents can report anyone suspected of engaging in crime.

“Vandalism of public infrastructure is against the law because that is infrastructure that has been placed there using your money. We have equipment to ensure that we repair the power infrastructure in the city, but we want to warn anyone vandalising power that they will face the full force of the law if caught,” Sakaja stated.

“When I took office, there were so many cases of crime in the city, but we worked with security agencies to ensure that order was restored, and we shall not allow it to go back there.”

“We shall have a meeting with all the building owners and deliberate on how they can put their CCTVs and lights outside their buildings, and this will improve the security of the city, and this is something that is being done by many cities across the world, not just here,” Sakaja stated.

The governor assured residents that the county is working with Kenya Power to repair and install more streetlights, particularly in areas prone to crime.

He also issued a tough warning to boda boda operators involved in illegal activities, noting that the county, together with the operators’ association, has already designated official pick-up points for their operations.

Sakaja added that the riders have agreed to form Saccos, a move aimed at making it easier to identify and eliminate criminal elements within the sector.

“Many people working in the Boda boda sector are very good people and are working well, but we would like to encourage them not to allow a few individuals to come and tarnish their reputation; they need to root them out,” Sakaja said.

Adding “If you are found to be operating outside the designated areas, we shall apprehend you, and there is nothing you can do about it.”