Here’s Eastleigh like you’ve never seen it before – (PHOTO + VIDEO)
Eastleigh has been cleaned up after hawkers’ makeshift structures were demolished following days of protests by mall owners and traders.
Photos shared on Tuesday morning by Twitter user Ahmed Mohammed (@asmali77) showed a neater looking Eastleigh with no hawkers outside the malls and shoppers using the pathways.
Surprisingly, parking is available.
MAKESHIFT STRUCTURES
The usual makeshift structures in Eastleigh were also nowhere to be seen and traders who had closed down their shops in protests were operating.
Eastleigh this morning. Cleaner, brighter and safer. #SaferNairobi #EastleighShutdown #EastleighMeansBusiness pic.twitter.com/LN7lOABzKx
— Ahmed Mohamed ((ASMALi)) (@Asmali77) September 6, 2016
WATCH THE VIDEO
Shoppers delighted with the new look Eastleigh following #EastleighShutdown. #SaferNairobi #EastleighMeansBusiness pic.twitter.com/usbXdPcokL
— Ahmed Mohamed ((ASMALi)) (@Asmali77) September 6, 2016
BATTLE FIELD
On Saturday, hawkers violently resisted the demolition of their makeshift structures turning the business centre into a battle field.
The incident came after mall owners and traders opted to shut their businesses to protest against encroachment of the premises by hawkers.
Some hawkers who had rebuilt their structures were arrested by police officers, prompting street protests on Friday.
On Saturday, the streets of Eastleigh were no go zones as City Hall askaris and police officers complete with a water cannon and teargas engaged the hawkers in a cat and mouse chase.