NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 19 – Opposition leader Rigathi Gachagua has strongly denounced the government’s recent demolitions in Githurai, calling the operation “both senseless and inhuman.”
In a statement, Gachagua criticized the deployment of hundreds of police officers in the dead of night to destroy traders’ property and intimidate ordinary citizens.
“Such actions are a grave affront to human dignity and reflect a regime that has lost all sense of compassion and justice,” Gachagua said.
The Democracy Citizens Party Leader condemned what he described as an unprecedented show of brutality against people struggling to survive in an already challenging economy.
The opposition leader accused the government of treating citizens as criminals while ignoring the struggles caused by poor economic policies.
“It is a stark reminder of how far disconnected they are from the struggles of the common mwananchi, which they have caused through bad leadership and poor policy,” he said.
Gachagua further criticized the Cabinet Secretary for Interior Kipchumba Murkomen , whom he accused of being “clueless” and indulging in the excesses of public resources while threatening opposition leaders.
He questioned the urgency of the Githurai demolitions, contrasting the heavy-handed response in the capital’s outskirts with the lack of government action in Isiolo, where a Deputy Principal, Mr. Gatobu of Leparua Secondary School, was brutally attacked and killed by bandits on February 18.
“These same bandits later raided a police station, stealing cattle and killing both officers and locals, yet hundreds of police officers are dispatched to brutalize Mama Mboga in Githurai? Shame on this regime for its misplaced priorities and blatant disregard for human life and dignity,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua expressed solidarity with the residents of Githurai and Isiolo, reiterating that Kenyans’ constitutional rights must be upheld.
“Before liberation, Kenya is our country and no one should take away your constitutional rights,” he said.
Small-scale traders operating along Thika Road were left counting losses Wednesday evening after the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) moved in with excavators and security officers to demolish structures erected on the highway’s road reserve.
The operation, carried out in the busy Githurai area, saw kiosks, wooden stalls and makeshift sheds flattened as enforcement teams cleared what the authority described as illegal encroachments on public land.
Witnesses said excavators arrived under police escort shortly before dusk, pulling down rows of roadside businesses as stunned traders scrambled to salvage goods.
Several traders claimed they had operated in the area for years and accused authorities of heavy-handedness. Some said they had received verbal warnings but were not prepared for the sudden enforcement.
KeNHA has consistently maintained that road reserves are protected corridors meant to ensure safety, allow future expansion and prevent obstruction of highways. The agency argues that structures erected on these corridors endanger both motorists and pedestrians and interfere with drainage systems and infrastructure maintenance.
In recent months, the authority has intensified crackdowns on encroachment along major highways, citing rising concerns over traffic safety and urban planning.
By Wednesday night, piles of twisted iron sheets, broken timber and scattered merchandise lined sections of the service lanes near Githurai, as affected traders tried to recover what they could.
Yesterday, the Githurai stretch of the Thika Superhighway transformed into a scene of chaos as traders and residents clashed with authorities over a planned mass eviction.
NAIROBI,Kenya Feb 19-Opposition leader Rigathi Gachagua has strongly denounced the government’s recent demolitions in Githurai, calling the operation “both senseless and inhuman.”
In a statement,Gachagua criticized the deployment of hundreds of police officers in the dead of night to destroy traders’ property and intimidate ordinary citizens.
“Such actions are a grave affront to human dignity and reflect a regime that has lost all sense of compassion and justice,” Gachagua said.
The Democracy Citizens Party Leader condemned what he described as an unprecedented show of brutality against people struggling to survive in an already challenging economy.
The opposition leader accused the government of treating citizens as criminals while ignoring the struggles caused by poor economic policies.
“It is a stark reminder of how far disconnected they are from the struggles of the common mwananchi, which they have caused through bad leadership and poor policy,” he said.
Gachagua further criticized the Cabinet Secretary for Interior Kipchumba Murkomen , whom he accused of being “clueless” and indulging in the excesses of public resources while threatening opposition leaders.
He questioned the urgency of the Githurai demolitions, contrasting the heavy-handed response in the capital’s outskirts with the lack of government action in Isiolo, where a Deputy Principal, Mr. Gatobu of Leparua Secondary School, was brutally attacked and killed by bandits on February 18.
“These same bandits later raided a police station, stealing cattle and killing both officers and locals, yet hundreds of police officers are dispatched to brutalize Mama Mboga in Githurai? Shame on this regime for its misplaced priorities and blatant disregard for human life and dignity,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua expressed solidarity with the residents of Githurai and Isiolo, reiterating that Kenyans’ constitutional rights must be upheld.
“Before liberation, Kenya is our country and no one should take away your constitutional rights,” he said.
Small-scale traders operating along Thika Road were left counting losses Wednesday evening after the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) moved in with excavators and security officers to demolish structures erected on the highway’s road reserve.
The operation, carried out in the busy Githurai area, saw kiosks, wooden stalls and makeshift sheds flattened as enforcement teams cleared what the authority described as illegal encroachments on public land.
Witnesses said excavators arrived under police escort shortly before dusk, pulling down rows of roadside businesses as stunned traders scrambled to salvage goods.
Several traders claimed they had operated in the area for years and accused authorities of heavy-handedness. Some said they had received verbal warnings but were not prepared for the sudden enforcement.
KeNHA has consistently maintained that road reserves are protected corridors meant to ensure safety, allow future expansion and prevent obstruction of highways. The agency argues that structures erected on these corridors endanger both motorists and pedestrians and interfere with drainage systems and infrastructure maintenance.
In recent months, the authority has intensified crackdowns on encroachment along major highways, citing rising concerns over traffic safety and urban planning.
By Wednesday night, piles of twisted iron sheets, broken timber and scattered merchandise lined sections of the service lanes near Githurai, as affected traders tried to recover what they could.
Yesterday, the Githurai stretch of the Thika Superhighway transformed into a scene of chaos as traders and residents clashed with authorities over a planned mass eviction.
