Posing as demonstrators, the criminals who were also well-organized earmarked several business premises including boutiques, electronic shops and supermarkets
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has released CCTV images of suspects who posed as demonstrators to loot businesses during the anti-Finance Bill protests.Â
In a statement, DCI on Monday, July 1 explained that while the Kenyan youths (Gen Z) organized nationwide peaceful protests to exercise their democratic right to reject the proposed 2024/2025 Finance Bill, other groups with criminal minds took advantage of the situation and devised schemes to cause harm and economically frustrate fellow Kenyans.
Posing as demonstrators, the criminals who were also well-organized earmarked several business premises including boutiques, electronic shops and supermarkets, breaking in and massively looting to the detriment of innocent business owners.
People attend a demonstration against Kenya’s proposed finance bill in Nairobi, Kenya, June 25. /REUTERS
“As a criminal investigative agency, it squarely falls within the mandate of the DCI to investigate and bring to book any persons involved in such outright criminality, which not only robbed numerous Kenyans of their means of livelihood but also worked towards compromising an otherwise crucial constitutional right,” the DCI stated in part.
In that regard, the DCI revealed that its Imaging and Acoustic Unit domiciled at the National Forensic Laboratory retrieved numerous CCTV footage that captured identifiable persons, whose felonious acts had isolated them from the hundreds of thousands that took part in the protests.
The investigative agency revealed that some of the suspects were arraigned in court on Monday, but more of them were still on the loose.
DCI promised to crack down on them, appealing to Kenyans with any information on their identities and whereabouts to share with them.
“Whereas some have already been arrested and arraigned in various courts today, more are still out there on the streets waiting for other opportune times to strike again, causing more damage and risking the lives of innocent citizens caught up in the course of quelling the crimes.
“We can flush them from amongst our numbers because they do not share the principles that define what we stand for, and more so for the sake of those who did not deserve to lose their only means of livelihood in this manner. Do you know any of them? Please report to any police station or #FichuakwaDCI by calling our toll-free hotline 0800 722 203,” added DCI.
The business community in Nairobi has complained that the anti-finance bill demonstrations have plunged them into untold losses. Some took to social media to accuse a section of the protesters of breaking into their shops and walking away with different accessories and appliances.
In the demos that took place in over 15 counties, rogue protesters broke and looted supermarkets, shops and properties of some Members of Parliament accused of voting for the Finance Bill 2024.
During the last protests, some business owners took it upon themselves to defend their businesses from looters who used the protesters as cover.
Business owners defend their premises along Luthuli Avenue from goons posing as protesters intending to loot their businesses#ViralVideos pic.twitter.com/Uogk6RlN1j
— Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) June 27, 2024