Kirinyaga Traders Give Looters 14-Day Ultimatum After Saba Saba Chaos

Business owners demand return of stolen goods worth over Sh200 million

KIRINYAGA COUNTY – Business owners in Kirinyaga County have issued a stern 14-day ultimatum to looters who ransacked their stores during the recent Saba Saba protests, demanding the immediate return of stolen goods or face unspecified consequences.

The ultimatum was delivered during a massive traders’ meeting on Thursday at Wanguru International Stadium, where over 2,000 business owners from Kagumo and Kagio towns gathered under the leadership of their chairman, Anthony Mucheke.

The traders, who estimate their collective losses at over Sh200 million, have plastered posters across the county warning looters to return stolen property before the deadline expires. The response has been swift – within hours of the ultimatum, residents began returning items, dropping them near supermarkets, at police stations, and along roadsides.

“Several items have been dropped near the supermarkets, others dropped in police stations and along the roads,” confirmed a driver helping transport recovered goods in Kagio town.

Mucheke expressed the traders’ frustration, distinguishing between genuine protesters and opportunistic criminals. “We were caught off guard, but right now we have organised ourselves. We discovered that those were not protesters but criminals,” he stated.

The scale of individual losses has been staggering. Charles Njiru, a prominent local businessman, reported losing property worth over Sh50 million when his supermarket was broken into during the chaos. Adding insult to injury, Njiru revealed that some of his former employees participated in the looting.

“I couldn’t believe to see the local people taking advantage of the situation, even some of my former employees who left their jobs on my premises,” Njiru said.

The traders’ mobilization reflects a broader pattern of business owners across Kenya grappling with the aftermath of widespread protests. Their decision to take collective action demonstrates both desperation and determination to recover what they can while preparing for potential future unrest.

The ultimatum raises questions about what “further action” the traders might take if their demands aren’t met. With some goods already being returned voluntarily, the effectiveness of community pressure in addressing the looting aftermath remains to be seen.

As the 14-day deadline approaches, the situation in Kirinyaga County serves as a test case for how communities can respond to protest-related destruction while balancing demands for accountability with the need for social cohesion.

The traders’ bold stance may inspire similar actions by business communities elsewhere, potentially setting a precedent for how Kenya’s commercial sector responds to civil unrest and its aftermath.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​