Mutahi Ngunyi, a political analyst, now claims that the chaos witnessed in Eldoret town on Thursday was planned.
The analyst stated on Twitter that President William Ruto should be cautious of the events, claiming that his “enemies” may be plotting to bring him down.
This follows riots in Eldoret town on Friday, when a group of rowdy youths allegedly attacked and stole from a supermarket.
“The country’s insecurity does not add up.”
“The riots in Eldoret yesterday smack of sabotage,” reads the tweet.
“They are not impulsive.
Only the paranoid survive, according to effective leaders.
You must sleep with one eye open at all times.
You have adversaries, my friend “Friday, he tweeted.
A supermarket and several other shops were looted on Thursday as Uasin Gishu county askaris engaged hawkers in running battles in Eldoret town.
The town CBD was closed for several hours as police were called in and used tear gas to quell the street brawls.
During the chaos, groups of people stormed Eldomatt supermarket and carted away many goods, including food and electronics.
After county askaris seized goods from hawkers and other traders accused of operating in non-designated areas, chaos ensued.
The enraged hawkers banded together with street families and attacked the county askaris on the streets.
The hawkers, armed with stones and crude weapons, eventually overpowered the askaris and chased them to the county headquarters.
The county administration called in reinforcements, but the chaos spread to most streets, forcing most merchants to close their doors.
John Kamau, a hawker leader, stated that they were tired of being harassed by county askaris.
“We are now fighting with them to defend our rights,” he explained.
He accused the askaris of stealing from the hawkers and sharing all seized items in the name of keeping the town under control.
Kimani Wanjohi, MCA for Huruma ward, accused county askaris of harassing innocent traders on a regular basis.
He claimed that the clashes were political in nature.
It’s the second time in a month that such clashes have occurred in town.
Jonathan Bii, the governor of Uasin Gishu, is on a foreign trip, and the county has not issued a statement on the skirmishes.
The county government, according to top police officers in the region, is handling the situation.
Gladys Shollei, a woman representative from Uasin Gishu, accused the county of mishandling small-scale traders during the last Mashujaa Day celebrations in the town.
