Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati. He is accused of financing the violence in Kawangware on Friday. [Photo: @SimbaArati/Twitter]
Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati has allegedly gone into hiding.
This is after allegations that he financed the violence witnessed in Kawangware where property of an unknown value was destroyed on Friday.Police engaged with what is now being referred to as ‘peaceful protesters’ for the whole day and by evening, the chaos had not been quelled.One of the demonstrators who were burning property on the road was captured by reporters saying that he has no property in the area and so had nothing to lose.Earlier, Nairobi County Speaker Beatrice Elachi who was touring the constituency on Thursday said that hired goons were disrupting voting by threatening voters who would participate in the fresh Presidential election.Elachi and a section of leaders from Nairobi County want Arati arrested for the electoral malpractice.She accused Arati of mobilising youth aligned to NASA to cause chaos in the constituency where already some business premises have been brought down.Elachi said the youth are vandalising people’s properties saying some businesses along Muslim road were set ablaze.In a tweet on Friday night, Arati called for peaceful coexistence in the area but the responses pointed an accusing finger at him for fomenting the violence.
Don’t fight,don’t be trapped into the game of fighting among yourselves my great people of DN.We have lived together as bros and sisters.
— Hon Simba Arati (@SimbaArati) October 27, 2017
An eyewitness who requested anonymity says that Arati was in the area at 3pm but left shortly after only to come back accompanied by foreign press in two vehicles. Arati was in a black Landrover with tinted windows while the press teams were in two vehicles.
One of the press teams was Chinese driven by an African while the other was made up of whites in a white van.
According to the witnesses, Arati was in Kawangware 56 three times yesterday before the chaos erupted.
The witnesses allege that the youths were paid Sh300 to wreak havoc in the area.