The Kiambu County government on Thursday night demolished and burnt all the wooden business stalls along the Thika Road in Ruiru town.
The county askaris among other officials arrived escorted by the police at around 9pm and stated bringing down the stalls and burning them into ashes.
According to one of the county askaris who asked not to be named, the county government has been trying to persuade the stall owners to leave to pave way for the county government to construct more decent stalls. However, he said they have been resisting the move forcing the county government to take the action.
He told this writer that they had been ordered to ensure nothing was left so that no one thinks of constructing a stall in the area.
“They were told to give the government space to improve the service by constructing metallic permanent stalls but they refused. We have been ordered to bring every stall down to give way for better ones from the county government,” he said.
The move led to skirmishes caused by some traders who had not retired to their homes at the time of the action. They started throwing stones at the askaris and police who reiterated by shooting in the air and using teargas to disperse them.
The traders left for their homes leaving the askaris to finish the work.