Small business owners in Nairobi's CBD have urged President William Ruto's administration to safeguard their operations ahead of the opposition's three-day rallies.
In a media interview on Tuesday, the shopkeepers claimed that the protests organized by the Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya Coalition would interfere with their regular business operations. The tomato vendor at Wakulima Market, Ms Julia Gakuri, claimed that prior protests resulted in significant losses for her business.
She also expressed worry that the protests will interfere with her ability to make the loan instalments due at the month's end. "What will I do with my tomatoes if there are three-day demonstrations? I borrowed money that I must repay before the end of the month to invest in this job. "I'm so sad," Ms Gakuri remarked.
One of the busiest markets in the county, Wakulima Market supplies fresh food from various parts of the nation to the local population. Sarah Wanjiru, a member of the Starehe Constituency, wants the government to guarantee that their places of employment and business will be secure throughout the protests.
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"President (Ruto), don't desert us. Protect us. Kithure Kindiki, we request security in Nairobi to carry out our duties. While making sure you defend us, we will pay our taxes, Ms Wanjiru stated.
According to the traders, the protests will endanger their children's lives and harm their academic performance.
"As long as they are our children, we don't care what tribe they belong to when we witness our children being slain on the roadways. These protests are not helping us, Ms Wanjiru claimed.
Due to the threat of property damage and destruction during the last riots, many establishments in Nairobi's central business district remained closed.
Azimio la Umoja made plans for three days of protests between Wednesday and Friday public last week to pressure President Ruto's administration to accede to their demands.
