City Affairs

Outrage in Eastleigh after police raid shops, seize products

By Abdirahman Khalif | Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Following the operation, which reportedly takes place every Tuesday, shop owners alleged heavy-handedness and unfair targeting.

Tear gas was fired in Eastleigh, Nairobi, on Tuesday, to quell chaos that resulted from a multi-agency team's raid on shops suspected of selling counterfeit milk and milk products.

Large crowds watched as officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Kenya Dairy Board (KDB), and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) broke into shops, seizing hundreds of cartons of powdered milk and cheese.

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The officers carried out patrols, confronted some residents who crossed their paths, and raided shops on First Avenue and Third Street.

Some of the products confiscated from businesses in Eastleigh, Nairobi, during a raid by detectives on February 13, 2024. (Photo: Amin Abdullahi)

Some shop owners were not available for comment as they reportedly closed their shops in anticipation of the raids said to take place every Tuesday.

Following the operation, some business people alleged heavy-handedness and unfair targeting.

Mall Managers Deputy Chair Mohamed Ismail condemned the operation, saying the officers did not identify themselves properly and caused unnecessary damage.

"They destroyed shops by breaking into them without any warrant," he said, adding they pulled down doors, leaving the outlets vulnerable to looting. "This is killing our businesses."

Detectives stand by as others confiscate products from a shop in Eastleigh, Nairobi, during a raid on February 13, 2024. (Photo: Screengrab/ Amin Abdullahi)

Traders denied any wrongdoing, insisting they had all the documents required for business operations.

They presented permits from bodies including the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), manufacturing records and tax payment receipts from KRA. Some of the confiscated products were reportedly manufactured within Kenya or East Africa.

Eastleigh Business District Association Secretary Omar Ahmed placed the estimated loss from the "illegal raids" at more than Sh30 million in January alone. He vowed to take legal action to stop them.

One of the leaders of the operation, who did not want to be named, declined to comment and by press time, the multi-agency team had not issued a statement.

Eastleigh wholesale shops are expected to close for the next three days in protest against the raids.