Nairobi — John Kebaso, a businessman in Nairobi's Kibra area, is reeling from the devastating loss of his livelihood in the aftermath of Monday's anti-government protests.
As he sifts through the rubble of what was once his thriving business establishment, Kebaso is consumed with a sense of despair and hopelessness.
Odinga has called for regular protests every Monday and Thursday, accusing President William Ruto of stealing last year's election and of failing to control the surging cost of living in the country in his six months in office.
The horrors of that fateful night are etched in his memory as armed individuals stormed his establishment, which housed a hardware store and a pub, and set it ablaze.
Kebaso had hoped that the day's running battles between protestors and police would end by sunset, but his hopes were dashed when youths armed with crude weapons, including pangas, descended on his business at around 7:30 pm.
"They made a forceful entry into my business and robbed it before setting it on fire," he recalls, his voice heavy with emotion.
Kebaso watched in horror as his lifetime investment went up in flames, and his desperate attempts to reach the authorities proved futile.
"I made multiple contacts, I tried phoning Kilimani police station and I was referred to Kibra, they told me cops had been dispatched to another location, I tried Jamhuri and I got no response," he said.
The businessman estimates his losses at around Sh3.9 million in stock in the club, apart from the fixed assets which was also consumed by the fire while the hardware stock was valued at over Sh13 million by the beginning of March.
"Everything we had was here," he says. "This business was not just a source of income for me. It was my life's investment. It was from here that I provided for my family and educate my children."
With his business now reduced to ashes, Kebaso is uncertain about what the future holds for him.
"I don't know where to start," he laments. "The reality is that things have turned out bad."
Kebaso is quick to point the finger of blame at the local youth, who he says are being used by politicians to cause chaos, and the country's security agencies for failing to protect them.
Kebaso's story is just one among many others who have suffered losses as a result of the violent clashes.
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Religious institutions were not spared either, with the Pentecostal Church of East Africa (P.C.E.A) Emmanuel Centre church also vandalized and burnt by the youth in an attack that was reportedly a retaliation after a section of Masjid Al-Aqsa mosque, which neighbors the church, was razed down.
The PCEA school which is seats within the church compound was also destroyed. A vehicle was also torched in the ensuing melee.
The value of property loss as a result of the two incidences is yet to be established, but the toll on the emotional well-being of those affected is immeasurable.
Kilimani police boss Muturi Mbogo confirmed that one person was killed as a result of the protest even as he appealed to the residents to co-exist peacefully.
"My call is to the members of the public to maintain law and order as we also do the same. We ask the communities living in Kibra to continue living peacefully as one community," he said.
On Tuesday, inter-religious leaders visited the two places of worship in an effort to quell the tension that was threatening to escalate.
They emphasized the need for religious tolerance and pleaded with Opposition chief Raila Odinga and President William Ruto to meet and dialogue for the sake of the country's future.
For Kebaso, however, the damage has already been done. His business, his livelihood, and his future have been shattered by senseless acts of violence, leaving him to pick up the pieces of a life he worked so hard to build.
