Nairobi’s
new night runners doing damage to city walls
Related News
SHARE THIS STORY
Updated 6 hrs 31 mins
ago
By
JOE KIARIE
Their operating hours
overlap those of night runners, only that their mission is dissimilar. Night
after night, they have been crawling in the cover of darkness and executing
their mission with nauseating ineptitude.
These are vandals who
have been smearing buildings, walls, flyovers, underpasses and outdoor
billboards with mammoth political slogans as the race to the General Election
hots up. In some neighbourhoods, the scribbled slogans now even cover gates,
doors and windows of private residential houses.
Along the newly constructed Thika
superhighway, the wall writings have turned barely every flyover and underpass
into an eyesore. Similar vandalism is also highly conspicuous in most parts of
Nairobi’s Eastlands, Westlands, and along Mombasa Road.
Running alongside the graffiti are religions crusades and
entertainment advertisement posters among assorted wall ads. While names of
some presidential aspirants are part of the graffiti, the most conspicuous name
around the city is that of Water Assistant Minister Ferdinand Waititu, whose
“Waititu for Governor” slogan runs alongside those of various senate and county
assembly hopefuls in strategic locations.
Indelible spray
And as opposed to standing out for the fine art behind them, most of the slogans border on doodles, having been consistently misspelled and later cancelled out with corrections and afterthoughts. For instance, some slogans reading “Waititu for Govener” along Mombasa Road are later effaced with the correct spelling of the same.
And as opposed to standing out for the fine art behind them, most of the slogans border on doodles, having been consistently misspelled and later cancelled out with corrections and afterthoughts. For instance, some slogans reading “Waititu for Govener” along Mombasa Road are later effaced with the correct spelling of the same.
Another reading “Oscar for Councilor” is later cancelled out with
“Oscar for County Assembly”, presumably after the vandals realised that the
councillor title is obsolete under the new Constitution.
Several Nairobi residents interviewed by The Standard On Saturday
expressed fury at the way the vandals execute their smearing mission with
impunity.
They also lamented the fact that those behind the slogans are now
using indelible spray, making it hard for the owners of the affected property
to wash away the paintings. Ndolo Ndila, who lives in one of the most defaced
neighbourhoods in Imara Daima Estate in Embakasi, says he is baffled and
angered by the way the vandals have been executing their mission. “They usually
do this very late in the night. We leave the walls clean in the evening but by
morning the entire neighborhood is littered with slogans.
Soon after, a rival group may invade and overwrite the slogans
with those of their master,” Mr Ndila explains. He says those behind the
graffiti should be punished.
“This is criminal and all politicians involved should be charged
with degrading the environment, trespassing and damaging private
property. I don’t think any politician can promote a rival’s name and so
politicians with their names on the graffiti should be arrested and held
responsible for this,” Ndila asserts.
Monica Kawira says the perimeter wall and gate to her house in
Nairobi’s Donholm estate have been covered in slogans, but her complaints to
the City Council have been futile.
“I have equally made efforts to wash away the painting but unlike normal paint, these crooks are using indelible spray, making it impossible for any property owner to remove it.
“I have equally made efforts to wash away the painting but unlike normal paint, these crooks are using indelible spray, making it impossible for any property owner to remove it.
The only option is to paint the gate and walls afresh,” Mrs Kawira
says. Tom Odongo, the director of city planning at the City Council of Nairobi,
terms the action as vandalism and explains that any advertisement without
authority constitutes violation of city by-laws.
He says the council has already received complaints on the vice from various Government agencies and affirms that action will soon be taken against the culprits.
He says the council has already received complaints on the vice from various Government agencies and affirms that action will soon be taken against the culprits.
Complaints received
Mr Odongo warns that the council, which has in the past been much maligned for its ineptitude, might indeed derail the political careers of some personalities who are sponsoring the vandalising of private and public infrastructure. “Any citizen who, for instance, wants to be a president or a governor should have some civility.
Mr Odongo warns that the council, which has in the past been much maligned for its ineptitude, might indeed derail the political careers of some personalities who are sponsoring the vandalising of private and public infrastructure. “Any citizen who, for instance, wants to be a president or a governor should have some civility.
Let them know they are taking a lot of risks as we will soon
charge them and the cases will hang on their clearance to run for their
respective seats,” he warns.
The director says the City Court has in the recent past been
operating above its capacity but declares cases on the graffiti vandals can now
be rolled out after four more judges were posted to the court. “We have
collected some data and issued notices to some politicians whose names appear
on the graffiti. We are now seeking summons from the City Court so that we can
get orders to have them arrested and forced to remove the graffiti,” he states.
Odongo notes that most politicians have been
trying to evade prosecution by insisting that the graffiti is the work of their
rivals. But he says the council will find its way around this hurdle.
“Politicians will always run away from responsibility, but we will
not wait until we nab the painters on the job. We have a way to monitor
these things and we have information on who is doing it in any particular area.
So if it is Waititu who is written on the walls, then he is the one we will
take to court,” he states.
In March, City Hall served Waititu with a notice urging him to
“remove the graffiti and restore the (affected) areas to their original look
within 48 hours.”
But no action was taken against the Embakasi MP upon expiry of the
notice and most of the graffiti remains intact. Odongo advises politicians
aspiring for various elective seats to liaise with his department to get rates
for advertising in the city.
Excеllent article. Kеeр ωгiting such κind оf informatiοn on your pаge.
ReplyDeleteIm rеally imρrеssed bу it.
Hellο there, You havе performeԁ an іncгedible ϳob.
I'll definitely digg it and individually suggest to my friends. I am confident they'll be benеfited
from thіѕ wеbѕite.Watch The Clone Wars Season 5 Episode 9
Also visit my web page :: The Clone Wars Season 5 Episode 9 A Necessary Bond