NAIROBI, Kenya, June 25 – Several businesses in Nairobi are assessing damages and counting losses after looters took advantage of Wednesday’s Gen-Z-led protests to break into shops and steal goods worth millions of shillings.
Shops located along Tom Mboya Street, Moi Avenue, Kirinyaga Road, Outer Ring Road, and River Road were among the hardest hit.
Business owners reported destruction and loss of merchandise during the unrest that left several buildings set on fire.
David Kimani, who operates a phone repair shop at Mithoo House along River Road, said his store was completely ransacked, with looters making away with high-end devices, including customer phones such as Samsung models.
“I do not know where to start from,” Kimani told Capital FM Business. “They took everything. I don’t think I can reopen unless I get some form of help.”
Kimani also expressed frustration over what he described as the absence of police intervention, saying the looters had enough time to clear out his store without being stopped.
This is not the first time Kimani has suffered business loss. In 2019, he lost another outlet after the Sanford Building caught fire.
Like many small-scale traders in Kenya, he did not have insurance coverage due to what he called a complicated process.
Kenya has a relatively low uptake of business insurance, especially among small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) recently urged entrepreneurs to consider insurance to protect against risks such as fire, theft, and civil unrest.
According to the IRA, Kenya ranks fourth in Africa in insurance penetration at 2.4 percent — still significantly lower than South Africa’s estimated 12 percent.
Watencia Muthoni, another vendor whose combat and jeans shop is located at Gatakaini One in Koja, lost stocks worth Sh3.2 million in the protests.
She is sceptical of ever reopening up, considering the initial capital required to restart from scratch.
Yesterday also, a Bata shoe store along Outer Ring Road in Pipeline was also looted during the protests, with demonstrators making away with school shoes and other merchandise.
For business owners like Kimani, recovery now depends on external support, loans, or starting from scratch.
