DP Gachagua Urges Bar Owners, PSV Operators to Ignore Sakaja Directives

Bar owners and Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators in the city have been instructed by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to continue operating their establishments and ignore any orders given by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.

The DP and governor have been at odds after the latter ordered the relocation of long-distance PSVs from Nairobi’s CBD to the new Green Park termini as part of steps to decongest the city.

The second-in-command, on the other hand, criticized the directive as being ill-informed and suggested that the governor seek advice before taking any actions that may harm the enterprises of others, particularly Kikuyus.

“Our administration will protect businesses. We are not like the previous regime which killed businesses. I am telling business people to continue with their work and no one will harass them and I mean what I say,” Gachagua told Inooro TV on Sunday.

Read: No Squabble Exists Between DP Gachagua and I – Sakaja

He stated that leaders will consult on the matter before any action is taken. He cited the Tearoom Stage which he said should it be done away with, then businesses within the area will suffer.

“For instance, you want to kill the tearoom stage. The moment you do away with that stage, you kill hundreds of shops along that road. Is that what my boss (President William Ruto) and I promised Kenyans? Not at all,” he continued.

As for Sakaja’s nightclub ban within residential areas, the former Mathira MP said the decision should too be reconsidered.

“The same county government that is closing bars today is the same one that issued them with licenses. Who is lying to the other one now…? Sakaja should call for a consultative meeting where they will agree on how to install soundproof walls,” he said.

Read Also: DP Gachagua Warns Sakaja Against Mistreating Mt Kenya Businesspeople

He also noted that he urged Bishop Margaret Wanjiru to drop her gubernatorial bid for Sakaja. Therefore, the former lawmaker noted, he was responsible for Sakaja’s victory at the ballot.

For this reason, Gachagua said, he (Sakaja) should respect businesses owned by the people from the vote-rich region.

“I actually told Bishop Margaret Wanjiru to step down in his favour. He should be reminded that we people from the Mountain are not like potato sacks which you can move up and down the way you want,” he said.

Last week, however, the county boss insisted that change within the capital is inevitable.

Read Also: Uhuru Should Join UDA – DP Gachagua Says

“I have heard talk that Nairobi was like this before I was born, but I want to tell them that that’s why I am the governor. We must change our city, and there is no shortcut to that,” he said.

On Sunday, he told reporters that he and DP Gachagua are not squabbling, contrary to what was being reported.

“People are trying to create a tiff between the DP and me. They are taking advantage, especially people from other political parties are trying to create something that is not there,” he said.