Businesses were looted and property vandalized after a group of protesters stormed a petrol station in Kitengela and broke into the adjacent fast food stores in the establishment.
Protesters were seen walking out of the shops with soft drinks and assorted items from the businesses in the area even as police fired in the air to disperse the crowds.
The Tuesday, July 16, 2024, protests began in earnest across the country despite President William Ruto calling for a dialogue with the protesting youth; an initiative that failed to kick off after key stakeholders pulled out.
Demonstrators in Kitengela barricaded the road and lit tyres chanting ‘Ruto must go!’ and ‘Stop killing us’ slogans after activists called for a total shutdown in the country.
In Nairobi, Police officers engaged in running battles with demonstrators who started grouping along Moi Avenue as early as 11 am.
The officers lobbed teargas at groups of youth seen gathering around the Central Business District (CBD) even as businesses remained closed around town.
The protests are reported to have reemerged following the discovery of bodies dumped at a garbage dam in Kware in Embakasi.
The youth believe some of the bodies could be of those killed during the anti-government demos in June while the police have arrested a suspect whom they say has confessed to killing at least 42 women between 2022 and 2024.
Peaceful protests began in June 2024 against the controversial Finance Bill 2024 before the demos turned violent, leading to the death of at least 40 people according to human rights groups.
Funding protests
On Monday, July 15, 2024, Ruto said the Ford Foundation, an American philanthropic organization, was funding and fueling the demos in the country.
Ruto said: “Nataka niulize watu wa Ford Foundation watuambie hio pesa wanatoa, wanatoa ifanye fujo ndio wapate faida gani? (I’m asking the Ford Foundation to tell us about the monies they are giving out to sponsor violence and what they stand to gain from it).
“We are going to call them out and we are going to tell them if they are not interested in democracy in Kenya, if they are going to sponsor violence and anarchy we are going to call them out and we are going to tell them they either style up or they leave,” Ruto added.
The foundation has since come out to deny any involvement in the demonstrations in the country, saying their organization was strictly non-partisan in their activities.