Kieni Member of Parliament (MP) Wanaina Njoroge has reported a loss of over Sh550 million after his supermarket in Nyeri was vandalized and looted during a protest on Tuesday.
The protest, driven by public anger over the recently debated Finance Bill 2024, led to significant destruction of property, including setting part of the supermarket on fire.
The UDA MP, who supported the controversial Finance Bill, became a target for protestors who stormed his supermarket, making away with stock and equipment.
“I lost movable stock worth Sh450 million and equipment such as bakery shelves, among others, valued at Sh100 million,”
The business man who owns a chain of supermarkets in the Mt. Kenya region, highlighted that the looted Nyeri branch employed over 350 people, marking a significant economic loss for the community. He was one of several MPs whose properties were attacked on Tuesday.
Other affected lawmakers included Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi and Molo MP Kuria Kimani, the National Assembly Finance Committee Chair. Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah and Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie also faced arson attacks on their NG-CDF offices, which were burnt by the protestors.
The scrap metal dealers are now scavenging for the metallic stands that remained after the inferno,” Njoroge remarked, highlighting the severe impact of the destruction.
Despite the extensive financial setback, Njoroge affirmed his unwavering support for the Finance Bill 2024. He argued that the bill included critical measures that would benefit the people of Kieni by curbing import competition and bolstering local agriculture.
“The people of Kieni stood to benefit from the Bill,” Njoroge explained. “We are in an agricultural zone where our people farm onions, potatoes, eggs, and milk. They would have enjoyed greater market access as the competition from outside the country would have been reduced if the bill succeeded.”
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