Police arrest 72 people over looting, vandalism in Eldoret
By Winstone Chiseremi, June 27, 2025Police in Eldoret have arrested 72 people, among them two women, in connection with looting and destruction to property running into millions of shillings during Wednesday’s youth-led protests in the region.
The suspected looters aged between 20 and 45 years were seized from their hide-outs across Eldoret town.
Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Benjamin Mwanthi said the suspects who are being held in custody at the Eldoret Central Police Station will be arraigned in court tomorrow. “We rounded up the suspects who include two women at various informal settlement areas in the outskirts of Eldoret City where they were hiding after a tip off from members of the public.”
He said the police also managed to recover some of the stolen items looted from various business premises and supermarkets located along the busy Eldoret-Webuye highway which will be used as exhibits against the suspects.
The suspects who were masquerading as generation Z protesters are said to have looted gas cookers, several cartons containing cooking oil, blankets, TV sets, mattresses, furniture’s utensils among other goods worth millions of shillings from one of the supermarkets located at Tairi Mbili area on the outskirt of Eldoret City.
He said they have deployed officers to pursue more suspects who were captured on CCTV cameras robbing, stealing and destroying property within the town’s central business district and its environs.
Seven police officers attached to Kamkunji Police stations escaped death by a whisker during the violent protests after the canter lorry they were traveling in from their work station to Eldoret City was set ablaze by protesters along the Eldoret-Webuye highway.
The officers including the police driver were forced to jump from the vehicle and hike a lift in one of the vehicles that were enroute to Eldoret City to avoid being lynched by the mob.
It was at this juncture that the rioting mob poured petrol on the police canter and set it on fire reducing it to shell during the daring day time incident.
According to the County Police boss, seven police officers sustained serious injuries while trying to ward-off the looters from accessing the business premises in Eldoret town and that they were treated at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital before being discharged. “One of my officers who was hit on the left side of his skull is fighting for his life at the Intensive Care Unit at MTRH in Eldoret,” added Mwanthi.
The demonstration which started on a peaceful note later degenerated into a running battle between the law enforcement officers and the youths with the police being forced to throw teargas canisters at the surging crowd.