Residents of Kathwana, in Tharaka-Nithi County have come out strongly to condemn demonstrations witnessed in the town, terming the incident as mallice and politically funded.
The demonstrations, which had attracted hype on social media turned out to be a botched exercise that only attracted a handful of protestors.
Speaking to the media, Fridah Gakii, a street vendor in Kathwana said they had not planned any demonstrations as residents of Kathwana, confirming that they were caught by surprise to see demonstrators in their town.
“When we plan demonstrations we will notify the police and the Governor as well so that we can have a siting with him. Those who protested today were hired to do so”, she said.
“We were shocked to see a number of hired demonstrators who had been ferried here this morning when we opened for business. We were not privy to any demonstrations nor were we engaged in the planning process”, Antony Gikundi, a Miraa vendor commented.
Julius Nyaga Kithome revealed that the Kathwana Business Community had suffered great losses following the early morning disruptions after they were forced to close many of their businesses in fear of unrest.
“We are shocked to see people ferried all the way to Kathwana from other constituencies to demonstrate against the Governor yet we, the people of Kathwana had no information on the same. We are happy with the progress Governor Njuki has made in the county including this very town of Kathwana where these hired demonstrators had come to disrupt”, he said.
Sources told The Peak that a number of hired demonstrators declined to show up for the protests that attracted close to 30 people, cementing their support for Muthomi Njuki who is serving his second and final term as Governor.
“I want to thank those who had been hired to protest in Kathwana for saying no and declining the request to cause mayhem in the county. Political leaders who had sponsored the protests should stop using youth to bring chaos. Tharaka Nithi is a peaceful county, let the Governor deliver peacefully”, a resident said.
County Police Commander Zacheus Ngeno told the media that they had no prior information of the demonstrations, saying they did not receive any notification from the demonstrators but allowed them to proceed without any destructions and and disruptions.
“We never received any letter, we only saw on social media and that is why we responded. No vandalism, chaos of riot related fracas has been witnessed. It is their right to demonstrate as envisioned in the constitution but we also ask that they follow the law next time, by notifying the police prior to any planned demos”, he said.
“I want to thank the residents of Kathwana for maintaining peace and not counter-attacking the demonstrators. We ask for calmness and peace moving forward”, he added.
Focus now shifts to the orchestrators of the unsuccessful anti-njuki protests, with social media uproar already being witnessed in the county.
