Njoro residents are counting losses after Egerton University students looted and destroyed their business premises during a demonstration.
According to the residents who spoke on Tuesday, some goons who may not have been students, took advantage of the situation to steal, rough up people, destroy and burn property.
“We are not against students demonstrating to express their dissatisfaction with anything they feel not well catered for, but then, are we the university’s administration that they vent their anger on us?” posed Salome Wairimu, whose grocery shop was looted.
The residents’ majority who are small-scale traders complained of how the demonstrators abused them to the extent of even physically abusing them.
“Even if I take a P3 Form, who will pay for all these damages and medical expenses?” asked Njoroge Ndirangu, a bodaboda operator who seriously assaulted during the mayhem.
“What pains me most is that I was carrying one of the students from Njoro Centre to a hostel on the outskirts when we met the demonstrating group. They roughed me up, damaged my motor bike and left me seriously nose bleeding,” he lamented.
The residents promised to involve both student leaders and their local leaders to find a solution that will build a peaceful co-existence amongst them.
The students were complaining of a power blackout that allegedly lasted for hours arguing that it would negatively impact on their ongoing exams.