Senator Nyutu questions motive behind night demolitions after Gikomba incident
By Mustafa Juma, April 1, 2026Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu has sharply criticised the government over the recent demolitions at Gikomba Market, questioning why such operations are often carried out at night and raising concerns over the loss of traders’ property.
Speaking on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, during an interview with a local TV station, Nyutu condemned what he termed a troubling pattern, arguing that night-time demolitions deny traders the opportunity to salvage their goods.
The senator posed a series of pointed questions regarding the timing and intent of the demolitions, suggesting that the approach may be deliberate.
“Why do demolitions always happen at night, and what is the motive? Because when it happens at night, there is a loss of property. Why don’t you start the demolitions early in the morning, let’s say 8:00 am, so that the traders can be able to salvage their property?” he posed.
Nyutu described the trend as an “evil spirit of demolitions and property destruction” that must be condemned.
Public participation
The Murang’a lawmaker also cast doubt on claims by authorities that there had been adequate public participation and consultation with traders prior to the demolitions.
“If there was indeed public participation and an agreement with the traders, why were they crying?” he asked.
The demolitions have sparked outrage among traders, many of whom reported losing merchandise and livelihoods in the operation.
Nyutu further questioned the government’s intentions, particularly the push to redevelop the market into what has been described as a modern trading facility.
“Why are authorities so keen on building a market supposedly better than Gikomba? Why Gikomba Market? What’s the obsession?” he asked.
Leaders condemn Gikomba demolition
The Gikomba demolitions have ignited a wider political debate, with leaders calling for accountability, transparency, and humane handling of evictions.
Critics argue that while urban redevelopment may be necessary, it should not come at the expense of vulnerable traders who depend on such markets for their livelihoods.
People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua criticised the overnight demolition of stalls at Gikomba Market, terming the exercise unjust and lacking due process.
The demolitions are reportedly linked to the enforcement of riparian land regulations.
Taking to her official X account on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, Karua questioned whether the application of the 60-metre riparian rule is being selectively enforced against informal traders while other developments remain untouched.
“Gikomba traders woke up to find their stalls demolished overnight, with no adequate notice or consultation. Does the sixty-metre riparian rule only apply to Gikomba and informal settlements?” she posed, raising concerns over fairness and equality before the law.
She further challenged authorities to explain how the structures were allowed to exist for decades if they were indeed illegal.
“If these structures stood for years, who issued the permits?” she asked.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka have also condemned the late-night demolitions.
Gachagua has termed the operation inhumane, brutal, and a direct attack on small-scale traders.
Speaking during a presser on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Makueni, Gachagua accused the government of orchestrating the demolitions at night, arguing that such actions amount to persecution of ordinary Kenyans struggling to make a living.
He claimed that thousands of traders lost goods worth millions of shillings during what he described as a cowardly night raid.
“It is totally unfair for a government to treat its people like we witnessed last night at Gikomba Market, Nairobi. I condemn this inhuman and beastly treatment in the strongest terms possible,” Gachagua said.
“Thousands of Traders, and other small-scale traders, have had their properties and items worth millions of Shillings destroyed in a night of a cowardly government raid for what covertly is a political scheme.”
Kalonzo has also condemned the situation that led to a number of traders being displaced.
“At 4 AM, the Ruto regime bulldozed Gikomba Market under the cover of darkness. No warning. No dignity. Just rubble. Traders woke up to nothing: livelihoods, stock, and futures, gone. A government that destroys its own people does not deserve to serve them. It must go,” Kalonzo said.