A video doing the rounds on social media of county officers spraypainting messages on cars purportedly parked illegally has left many Nairobi residents shocked, confused, and honestly frustrated. If this is indeed the new way of enforcing the rules on parking, then perhaps the Nairobi County government has gone a step too far in the name of order.
Let’s be clear: illegal parking is a real problem in Nairobi. Our roads are congested, pavements are blocked, and emergency lanes are often misused. The city definitely needs a firm system to restore discipline. But spray-painting people’s cars? That is not enforcement; it is vandalism packaged as governance.
Wheel clamps, for all their inconveniences, at least make sense. They immobilize the car, make the owner pay a fine for it, and still leave the vehicle intact. Spray-painting a car, on the other hand, permanently damages private property. It lowers the car’s value, forces the owner to spend money on repairs, and creates unnecessary hostility between citizens and county officers.
It is also a legally and ethically dubious move. Does the county government have any right to deface private property? What if the car’s owner decides to sue? More importantly, how does this build trust with the very people the county is supposed to serve?
This tactic also sends the wrong message. Instead of focusing on clear signage, better parking planning, improved enforcement, and digital payment systems, the county seems to have adopted humiliation and intimidation as a strategy. It has painted Nairobi as a place where leadership reacts emotionally instead of thinking practically.
Yes, Nairobi needs discipline. Yes, illegal parking must be dealt with. But public officers must use solutions that are lawful, respectful, and effective. Spray-painting cars is lazy governance, a shortcut that causes more problems than it solves.
If anything, Nairobi needs smarter systems not destructive ones. And if the county really wants to change behavior, it should begin by respecting the people it governs.
