I forgive the looters, Kieni MP says as he reopens supermarket
Kieni MP Njoroge Wainaina says he has forgiven those who looted and torched his supermarkets in Nyeri and Nanyuki towns at the height of anti-government protests two months ago.
The MP claims he suffered business losses of Sh567 million when three of his retail outlets in Nyeri and Nanyuki were looted on June 25 this year.
One of the two supermarkets in Nanyuki, located in a four-storey building owned by the MP, was looted and then set on fire.
Following the incidents, detectives tracked down 16 suspects, some of whom were caught with the stolen goods, and their case is pending in a Nanyuki court.
But speaking at the reopening of one of the Chieni supermarkets in Nanyuki, Mr Wainaina said that after soul-searching, he and his family had decided to forgive the criminals who had almost brought his 10-year investment to its knees.
“As a family we have forgiven those who destroyed our business. We believe these were ordinary criminals and the destruction meted on my investments was not politically driven since those arrested were not Gen Zs,” said the MP.
The MP refused to be drawn into discussing how he would deal with the suspects now that their case is before the courts, but added that the setback would not deter him from serving his constituents effectively.
The destruction of Mr Wainaina's business was attributed to the MP's support for the controversial Finance Bill 2024, which was passed in Parliament. President William Ruto refused to assent to it following mounting public pressure.
Part of the politician's burnt building in Nanyuki town has been demolished and will be rebuilt, with repairs expected to take several months.
Hundreds of excited shoppers jammed the reopened supermarket, queuing for hours, forcing the management to close the entrance for a while to control the surge in customers.
The MP said he had received no compensation from the government or any insurance company. He had to borrow from banks to rebuild his business.