MACHAKOS: Traders in Machakos County on Friday staged angry protests, barricading the Kyumbi–Machakos road at Miwani area, after their structures were controversially demolished overnight.

They claim enforcement officers from the Machakos County Government carried out the demolitions around 1:00 am, without prior warning.

“I received a phone call from a friend who told me all was not well, that our structures had been pulled down by bulldozers at night. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I rushed to the scene,” a distraught trader told reporters amidst the protests.

The sudden demolitions, which disrupted transport on the busy road, have reportedly cost traders their livelihoods. One trader lamented that his kiosk, still under construction, had cost him about Sh60,000.

“We have lost our livelihoods. We could have removed our belongings if they had issued eviction notices,” he added, reflecting the sentiment of many.

Police responded to the road blockade, eventually using teargas to disperse the protesters and clear the road. Many traders stated they had been rendered poor by the overnight action.

A senior official from Governor Wavinya Ndeti’s administration confirmed the county government conducted the demolitions.

The official stated that the structures were erected along the road, allegedly on the road reserve, near the diversion to Governor Ndeti’s Machakos White House office, implying encroachment.