Traffic along Outer Ring Road, Nairobi was on Friday morning disrupted as angry residents protested forced evictions witnessed in Kariobangi North earlier this week.
The demos were sparked by fresh reports of a plan to demolish an indefinitely-closed Korogocho market located within the same area.
Attempts by law enforcers to break down the protests led to a heated confrontation with citizens which soon turned into full running battles.
Protest in Kariobangi after Nairobi Water company extended the evictions to demolish Korogocho market, The illegitimate government is fuelling a revolution
📸 Source pic.twitter.com/iTr7t93520
— Maskani Ya Taifa🇰🇪 (@Maskani254) May 8, 2020
As other traders and inhabitants genuinely partook their right to picket, a section of rowdy youth took advantage of the chaos and began a looting spree.
The clips circulating on social media showed them break into several nearby shops and make away with various goods.
Social anarchy,looting and burning of cars and property in Kariobangi,Kenya pic.twitter.com/WyZpd54QcA
— SAMRACK (@SAMRACK) May 8, 2020
On Monday morning, about 5,000 people were left homeless after the government demolished their houses to reclaim the land.
Residents of Kariobangi North in Nairobi County watch as their houses are demolished in a forced eviction to reclaim land on May 4, 2020.
The exercise was supervised by police and was carried out by the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company with bulldozers arriving on the grounds ready to flush out the families, some of whom have called the area home for more than 10 years.
This was despite a court order that was issued barring the exercise.
The demolitions came at a time when the country is battling to curb the spread of the coronavirus as cases in Nairobi continue to increase.
Senators led by Nairobi’s Johnson Sakaja demanded compensation for the families and legal action against officials involved in the illegal allocation of the public land.
They accused the government of engaging in impunity and demanded a proper plan for people who lost their properties in the demolitions.
