It will take us many months to recover, traders say

Traders in Nairobi's CBD protect their shops from goons masquerading as protestors on June 27, 2024. [Robert Tomno, 2024]

"That day there were about 500 people marching on this street alone, I suspect they were criminals as described by the President because they were targeting shops owned by innocent people like us," he added.

The trader said it will now take him several months to recover what was stolen.

Not far from him is a money exchange shop whose security was also breached and everything vandalized.

"Luckily, there was no money at that time, but they managed to cart away computers, grills, cash dispensers and even ceiling," one of the staff shared.

Along Wabera Street several other traders are counting losses, among them a popular shop that sells imported suits from Italy. Only broken mannequins were spared.

Along Kenyatta Avenue, a section of Uganda House was set on fire razing down several shops on ground floor.

The six-storey building hosts the Ugandan Embassy and a string of law firms, among them that of renowned advocate Danstan Omari.

The building has been under renovations since last year and was set to be completed this year.

The recently refurbished Uhuru Park recreational centre was not spared by the protestors, some arty items including a huge old decorated airplane skeleton was razed to ashes.

Other features including statues and relics remain strewn on the lush park that was allocated about Sh2 billion for the renovation through the 2021/22 supplementary budget.

In the city centre alone three leading supermarkets are now empty after protestors overpowered police and managed to break in on Tuesday.

They include Carrefour around City Hall, Naivas Ronald Ngala and Quickmart Mfangano.

However, a staff of one of the joints said the chains are insured but could take about three months to recover.

Police sources say the looting started around 5pm in the evening after the protestors stormed Parliament adding that at the time,majority of the cops had been moved to save the situation around Parliament Road.

"Around 4pm, there were groups of young men entering the city centre from Jogoo Road via Muthurwa and others through Gikomba market and Ngara areas," an officer from Kamukunji police said.

In the uptown the metallic guard rails along the roads were uprooted and stolen on Mama Ngina Street and City Hall Way and other roads around.

Along Ronald Ngala street, RNG building was targeted by the looters leaving huge destruction of the businesses around.