Ruto calls protests 'anarchy dressed in freedom colours' as traders count losses

President William Ruto has described the recent Gen Z protests as “anarchy dressed in freedom colours” after traders across the country reported heavy losses and destruction.

Businesses in Nairobi, Nakuru, Naivasha, Ol Kalou and Bungoma were looted or burnt as what started as peaceful protests turned chaotic, leaving traders counting losses as they reopened on Thursday.

“What we witnessed was not peaceful protest, it was calculated chaos, it was violence, it was destruction and it was economic sabotage, let’s call it what it is,” said Ruto on Friday, June 27 during World MSME Day at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi.

Shops were looted and businesses built over decades were burnt as market stalls and warehouses were destroyed within hours, Ruto noted, adding that livelihoods were shattered by deliberate acts of lawlessness.

“Is this the Kenya we really want, I dare ask?” Ruto posed, questioning whether freedom meant burning what others had built. He explained that those attacking businesses were not fighting for freedom but attacking it.

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Ruto called on the Inspector General of Police and security agencies to conduct swift investigations and prosecute those behind the violence. He observed that Kenya is governed by the rule of law and the government would not allow acts that destroy lives and livelihoods.

“To the political actors who think they can exploit the genuine aspirations of our young people to foment chaos and violence, the wheels of justice will find you and deal with you firmly, decisively, within the full letter of the law,” Ruto explained.

He urged those seeking power to wait for elections and win fairly instead of resorting to violence, stating that replacing a plan with hate and chaos would worsen the situation.

Ruto acknowledged the pain of families who lost loved ones and property during the protests, observing that while the Constitution protects the right to peaceful protest, the government would not allow violence to destroy lives or the economy.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said nine police stations were attacked and five torched, with firearms stolen from Dagoretti Police Station.

Murkomen noted that at least 10 people were killed and more than 400 injured, including 300 police officers, while 28 government vehicles, 88 police vehicles and 65 private cars were destroyed.

Those responsible for looting, violence and destruction would face prosecution, Murkomen observed.

Traders in Bungoma, Nakuru, Naivasha and Ol Kalou said they suffered huge losses as goons infiltrated protests, looted shops and burnt property. In Bungoma, Josephat Onchiri, a manager at Jadelika Hotel, said about 50 armed individuals stormed the premises, looted food and vandalised property.

“About 50 armed goons entered our premises, they cleared the buffet, looted cakes and bread from the bakery and vandalised everything in their way,” said Onchiri.

He noted that some of his staff were injured as they tried to stop the looters from accessing the premises.

In Molo, protesters broke a perimeter wall to enter the local sub-county office, ransacked records and set five government vehicles, including a fire engine, on fire.

In Ol Kalou, demonstrators torched a police station, 26 government vehicles, motorcycles and a county library after reports emerged that police had shot a protester.

Protests in several towns saw supermarkets looted and vehicles burnt as traders, who reopened on Thursday, assessed their losses while county and national officials began taking stock of destroyed public property.