Innocents bear the brunt of protests
Jamia Supermarket that was raided and looted by rioters during anti-government demonstrations in Juakali, Kisumu on March 30, 2023.
Like the proverbial rat trap that snaps up the guilty and the innocent, the ongoing anti-government protests keep racking up numbers of Kenyans made to suffer for a cause they have little to do with.
From innocent children enduring terror to businesspeople losing their lives’ worth in investments, many have been caught in the ongoing crossfire between the government and the opposition.
Our interviews with some of the people who have borne the brunt of the mayhem yielded tear-jerking tales of loss and misfortune.
Among the statistics is Kibera businessman Onesmus Muema. He lost property in the post-election chaos of 2007/8 and has suffered the same fate in 2023.
The father of four – a resident of Ayany – was left crestfallen on Monday evening when his tuck shop with Sh400,000 stock was looted.
Then there is Mary Njeri, another Kibera resident, who had taken a Sh800,000 loan just a week after protesters destroyed her groceries shop.
“I received a phone call. The caller’s message was brief: that I should show up urgently and that my stall was on fire. I didn’t believe it,” Njeri said.
A student (centre) is ferried on a motorcycle as it passes next to a bonfire in Kibera, Nairobi on March 27, 2023, during protests against the high cost of living that was called by Azimio leaders.
“I painfully watched all my investment go up in flames and reduced to ashes.”
Njeri has lived in Kibera since 1993. Until 2016, she survived on menial jobs like washing clothes for residents of Jamhuri estate just a few metres from Kibera.
She slowly progressed into entrepreneurship until the moment of madness that saw her lose everything in minutes.
“Today, I woke and rushed to Jamhuri for a menial job to feed my young family but luck was not on my side,” Njeri told the Saturday Nation on Thursday.
Children not spared
Children have not been spared either. Just as the Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga’s convoy was getting to Ngong Road on Monday evening, pupils were returning home from school. Another day of school was over. But their day was far from over.
Mayhem stood between the pupils and their destinations as the convoy snaked to Kibera through Jamhuri Park.
As a cloud of teargas spread in the air and water hoses were trained at the demonstrators, horrified children were caught in the middle of an exchange they knew nothing about.
Earlier in the day, a schoolgirl had been hit with a teargas canister in Mathare. The child cried in pain as she was being rushed to safety by good Samaritans. Only known as Zyra in Area 10, the girl is nursing the pain of war she can hardly comprehend.
And in Kisumu, at least four children were admitted to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital on Thursday after developing breathing complications due to the effects of teargas law enforcers were using on protesters.
Hospital CEO, George Rae, said the children are recuperating in the casualty wing.
In Homa Bay County, a Form Three student sustained a head injury when he was caught between the protesters and police officers.
The boy, who had been sent home for fees, is said to have left for a nearby shopping centre, only to find himself between two fires.
The Kamukunji police station-based officer firing at a car that had journalists.
Homa Bay County Referral Hospital CEO, Peter Ogolla, said the teen was treated and discharged as he had minor injuries. A rubber bullet hit his temple.
“Our team conducted a medical examination on the student to ascertain his condition before discharging him,” Dr Ogolla said.
Mr Hussein Hassan – the proprietor of Jamia Supermarket in Kisumu that fell victim to looting on Thursday – has approximated his loss to be Sh13 million.
Mr Hassan accused police of failing to act as riotous youths descended on the business.
“If this was a peaceful demonstration, why did the protesters break into my premises?” he asked.
Kibera traders are also taking stock of their heavy losses. Dennis Angima’s bar was swept clean by gangs of young men.
“They came and took everything on Thursday around 7pm. Then they burnt whatever remained,” he said.
“I had just pumped Sh600,000 into this business in January. I lost a fridge, furniture, the sound system and many other valuables.”
Reduced to ashes
Paul Kebaso Onchwari suffered the same fate. He watched helplessly and in dismay as his lifetime investment in a bar was reduced to ashes.
“I couldn’t do anything as the young people looted and then poured petrol on the remainder of my investment,” a teary Onchwari said.
“And just like that, I have lost more than Sh6 million.”
Beatrice Masese, 34, has lived in Kibera long enough to call the place home. Her shop, which was stocked with mattresses, basins and many other household items was razed.
“They took everything they could and set the rest on fire. I lost more than Sh700,000 in stock. It is heart-breaking,” she said.
Sanitation is a secondary need in Kibera, Mathare, Mukuru, Kawangware and many other Nairobi informal settlements.
Lilian Onsongo, a 29-year-old and her family’s breadwinner saw a business opportunity in Kibera. She had an ablution block with two 10,000-litre tanks. Rioting young men set the block on fire on Monday.
“This was everything to me. It was my family’s livelihood. It was from the block that I drew school fees, rent and money to sustain my life,” she said.
“Each tank cost Sh90,000 each. Building the ablution block four years ago cost Sh50,000. Now I have lost everything in a matter of minutes. I painfully watched as my life and that of my dependants was reduced to ashes.”
Fish traders in Homa Bay were in shock on Thursday when angry and hungry protesters broke into their premises and ate everything.
Homa Bay Giant Traders Association chairman, Jack Nyambega, said the businesspeople took off when police officers hurled teargas canisters at the market.
Stole fish
“We can’t give the estimates of what has been lost but it could be in hundreds of thousands of shillings,” Nyambega said.
In Siaya, protesters made away with fish and other items on Thursday.
“They stormed our stalls and took fish and other stock valued at more than Sh15,000,” said Mary Achieng.
She added that the rioters accused the traders of going on with business instead of joining them in the demonstrations.
Mathare residents confront anti-riot police officers on March 30, 2023, while pleading for peace and an end to the battles with area residents during the Azimio anti-government protests.
Citizen TV journalist Dismas Nabiswa was among the victims of the violent protests in Kisumu on Thursday. As Nabiswa attempted to flee from a stone-throwing mob, he fell and injured his ribs.
Some individuals, however, refused to be mere victims of the protests.
An example is the woman in Mathare who was pictured helping police officers wash their faces to reduce the effects of teargas.
The Saturday Nation tracked Margaret Watsemba, who has lived in Mathare for as long as she can remember.
Watsemba has a tin shack near the road where she sells groceries. Her house was metres away.
During the Monday protests, Watsemba had just left her house to open her stall. No sooner had she got to the shop than the protests turned violent, with police using teargas to disperse the youths.
Her shop offered refuge from the stones that were being hurled by the young men at the police officers.
Police responded by firing tear gas canisters at the groups. Occasionally, the rioters would return the canisters to the sender, which saw the officers experience the itchy, choking effect of the chemical.
Watsemba, a mother of three, had helplessly watched this go on for hours.
After a while, she decided to open the door and hand the police officers some water to wash their faces.
Daily Nation photojournalist Sila Kiplagat snapped that moment that drew diametrically opposing views.
“I am a mother. Police officers and protesters are my children. I knew that the officers were just doing their job and acting on instructions. But I also know most of the young people that were being kept at bay by their names,” Watsemba said.
“As I gave the water to the police officers, I also pleaded with them to be gentle with my children they were engaging. It was my only way of negotiating a truce.”
Additional reporting by Angeline Ochieng, George Odiwuor, Kassim Adinasi and Victor Raballa
