Business people in Kiambu town have stepped up their confrontation with the county government over what they describe as punitive licence charges, harassment by enforcement officers and poor service delivery, staging a peaceful demonstration and petitioning public authorities for urgent intervention.
The traders marched through Kiambu town before presenting their grievances to a range of authorities, including the Judiciary, security agencies and county administration, in a move that could intensify scrutiny of the county government’s revenue collection and enforcement policies.
At the heart of the traders’ complaint is the question of whether the county’s push to raise more own-source revenue is being matched by improved services and a more business-friendly environment.
The Kiambu Business Community said it was not opposed to paying legitimate fees but demanded that the charges imposed on traders be anchored in clear laws, subjected to public participation and applied transparently.
The traders also demanded the immediate release of goods they said had been confiscated by county enforcement officers during operations against businesses accused of operating without valid licences or failing to pay county charges.
Their petition, dated July 28, 2026, was addressed to the Presiding Judge of the High Court at Kiambu, the Chief Magistrate of Kiambu Law Courts, the Kiambu County Commissioner, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Kiambu County Police Commander, the County Administration Police Commander, the Kiambu Sub-County Administrator and the Municipal Manager of Kiambu Municipality.
The traders invoked Article 37 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to assemble, demonstrate, picket and present petitions to public authorities.
They accused the county government of putting revenue collection ahead of its obligation to provide services to residents, while demanding accountability over the money collected from businesses and other taxpayers.
Businesswoman Faith Ruguru said traders wanted the county government to establish a clear and predictable legal framework for licensing and other business charges.
“As business people, we are asking the County Government of Kiambu to create a law and call us for public participation so that we can agree. If it is Sh2,000, let it be Sh2,000. Even if the government changes hands, we know that next year or the year after, that law will not change,” she said.
The demand for a law governing the charges could put the county administration under renewed pressure to explain the legal basis and structure of various fees imposed on small businesses.
The traders said unpredictable charges and enforcement had created uncertainty for businesses already struggling with high operating costs, rent and declining purchasing power.
They also questioned the continued holding of goods confiscated during enforcement operations, arguing that traders whose property had been seized should either be taken through due legal process or have their goods returned.
“Are you an auctioneer? Are you a service provider, someone meant to provide services to business people, or are you an auctioneer for our goods?” Ruguru asked.
She said the county should prioritise service delivery, citing what she described as challenges facing public hospitals, unfinished markets, poor drainage, sewage problems and inadequate street lighting.
Ruguru also questioned the benefit residents were deriving from the county’s reported Sh6.5 billion in own-source revenue collected during the 2025/2026 financial year.
“We have seen you have collected Sh6.5 billion. As residents of Kiambu, we have not seen any benefit from that money. Hospitals lack medicine, markets are unfinished, traders are crying every day, drainage is bad, sewage is even reaching our businesses, and there is total darkness because of poor street lighting,” she said.
The county government has previously attributed the growth in own-source revenue to improved financial discipline, automation, accountability and efforts to curb revenue leakages.
But the traders’ demonstration has brought the political accountability question back to the fore: whether increased revenue collection is translating into visible improvements in public services and economic opportunities.
Another Kiambu Business Community official, Ken Nderu, accused county enforcement officers of entering business premises and confiscating goods without what the traders considered adequate legal authority.
He demanded that enforcement officers obtain appropriate legal documentation before accessing private business premises.
“We want every ‘kanjo’ who comes to our businesses to come with a search warrant and a court order,” he said.
Ken Nderu also criticised the deployment of police officers alongside county enforcement teams, saying the police should protect citizens and maintain law and order rather than facilitate the confiscation of traders’ property.
The petition makes similar allegations, accusing county enforcement officers of trespassing on private property and forcefully confiscating goods.
It further calls on security agencies and the Judiciary to ensure that enforcement operations are conducted within the Constitution and other applicable laws.
The allegations contained in the petition and made by the traders have not been independently verified.
The business people also want cases they say were filed against some traders in connection with enforcement disputes to be reviewed, with some calling for the withdrawal of cases they believe arose from disagreements over county charges.
For Paulina Waithera, the financial pressure facing small businesses has reached a critical point.
She said traders were being forced out of business by what she termed high licence fees and the cost of operating in Kiambu town.
“The money we are being asked for as licence fees is very high. We as business people have been unable to pay. And because we have been unable to pay, County askaris have come and taken our goods and even locked up our businesses,” Otera said.
She claimed that some business premises had changed hands several times within a year as traders struggled to survive.
“Many people have closed their businesses and left. You even find that in a year, a house is opened by three different people because one failed and closed, another entered and failed and closed, and the third one is also entering,” she said.
Waithera appealed to the county administration to consider a more supportive approach to small traders, saying the local economy could not grow if businesses were continually being pushed out of the market.
“We cannot build Kiambu if we are being oppressed and squeezed. We will build it if we are empowered by our governor so we can work,” she said.
The traders further demanded uniform enforcement of county regulations, arguing that similar businesses should be subjected to similar licensing requirements regardless of where they operate.
They cited the disparity between formal businesses operating in shops and traders operating in open markets, saying the county should establish a fair and consistent system that does not disadvantage one group.
The petition was received by Kiambu Town Ward Administrator Job Hamisi, who assured the traders that their grievances would be considered.
Hamisi said the administration had received and stamped the petition and would review the issues before issuing a response.
“We have taken it positively. We will go and sit down and analyse the things you have said. Once we look at what is inside and what you want, we will give you an answer very soon,” Hamisi said.
He acknowledged the traders’ constitutional right to petition authorities and said they had not committed any wrongdoing by raising their grievances.
“Crying for your rights is not a mistake. It is in the Constitution, and you have exercised it. So we will honour it,” he said.
The assurance, however, did little to ease the traders’ frustration, with some saying they had previously raised similar concerns with county officials without seeing meaningful changes.
The traders also blamed poor drainage for worsening conditions in the town centre, saying blocked or inadequate drainage systems had contributed to flooding and disruption of business activities.
They said they had recently engaged officers from the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) over drainage challenges in the central business district, raising questions about the division of responsibility between the county government and national agencies in maintaining urban infrastructure.
The dispute has now shifted beyond the question of licences to a broader debate over governance, accountability and the social contract between the county government and the businesses that provide much of its revenue.
The traders insist that they are willing to pay legitimate taxes and fees but want value for money, predictable charges and enforcement that respects the law.
They have challenged the county leadership to demonstrate how the billions collected in revenue are being converted into better health services, functional markets, improved roads and drainage, cleaner streets and a safer environment for businesses.
The petition also places the spotlight on the role of national government agencies, including the police, the Judiciary and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, in resolving disputes between county authorities and traders.
The business community wants the agencies to ensure that enforcement is carried out lawfully and that disputes over licences and county charges are settled through due process rather than through what traders describe as intimidation and confiscation.
For now, the traders have put the county administration on notice that they will continue to demand accountability over revenue collection and service delivery.
Their central message is that while the county government has a legitimate responsibility to raise revenue, it must also demonstrate that the money collected is being used to improve the lives of the people and businesses that generate it.
The traders are now waiting for the county administration’s promised response, with the outcome likely to determine whether the dispute is resolved through dialogue or develops into a broader political and legal confrontation over taxation, enforcement and accountability in Kiambu County.
