A presidential visit is typically a moment for citizens to engage with their leader and discuss important national issues.
However, this was not the case for Nairobi residents on Friday during President William Ruto’s visit to Eastlands, where locals experienced a day of fear and frustration as criminals took advantage of the occasion to rob unsuspecting citizens.
For the past week, President Ruto has been touring Nairobi County, aiming to solidify his political base and garner support for his UDA party, particularly after forming a new alliance with Raila Odinga’s ODM through a signed MoU.
But the president’s visit to Eastlands areas such as Umoja, Kayole, Buruburu, and Makadara on Friday sparked more alarm than enthusiasm.
Business owners in the affected areas closed their shops for fear of looting, while schools in the vicinity dismissed students early due to concerns over their safety.
Motorists were also targeted by criminals, who took advantage of the congestion caused by the visit to rob people of their belongings.
Handbags, phones, and other valuables were snatched from women, and criminals escaped on boda bodas. Some even entered matatus stuck in traffic and looted passengers.
In a video shared with Kenyans.co.ke, residents along Makongeni and Jogoo Road were seen witnessing the chaos as goons mingled with the crowd of supporters, seizing the opportunity to rob those around them.
“We are mostly small traders, and we need to keep our businesses open to make a living. But with these visits bringing more fear than benefits, we are forced to shut down.
Today, many of us will leave without earning anything,” a trader from Umoja told NTV.
This is not the first time President Ruto’s visits have led to incidents of looting and violence.
Earlier in the week, rowdy youth looted passengers, motorists, and shops along Thika Road after the president’s tour of Mathare.
In one of the more tragic incidents, a high-speed collision involving President Ruto’s motorcade on Tuesday resulted in the death of a 79-year-old Briton, Edgar Charles Frederick, who had been visiting family in Kenya.
The motorcade knocked him down and left him to die on the spot.
These incidents have raised serious concerns about the safety and security planning around the president’s high-profile visits, with many questioning the effectiveness of crowd control measures during such political events.
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