Makutano Traders Claim Goons Who Burned Magunas Supermarket Were Sourced From Far
Makutano town is reeling in shock and anger following the Monday, July 7, chaos that left Magunas Supermarket in ashes. A fire, reportedly started by goons, gutted down the popular store, leaving over 300 workers jobless and hundreds of businesses affected.
According to eyewitnesses and business owners, the attackers were not locals.
“What happened here in Makutano yesterday is not a demonstration because those were people who were sourced from far away and brought in. Even if you look at them, you can’t identify any of them,”
said Gitonga Samwel, chairperson of the Makutano Small Business Enterprises.
Many traders now fear for the future of their businesses. They believe the destruction was intentional and meant to destabilize the town’s economy. Shops near Magunas have already recorded a drastic drop in customers.
“We have no one to carry because Magunas is gone and so is our income,”
lamented Elias Mugiira, the bodaboda chairperson, whose members had a stage next to the supermarket.
The destruction did not just take down a building. It took away the heartbeat of Makutano’s economy. Many residents depended directly and indirectly on Magunas for daily survival.
Local leaders did not hide their fury. Caleb Mutethia, the area Member of County Assembly (MCA), condemned the violence in the strongest terms. He called it an attack on the town’s economic stability.
“You cannot invest all your life in a business only for some people who pretend to be so angry to come and burn it up. We are going to protect our businesses,”
Mutethia said.
He warned that future demonstrations must remain peaceful and vowed to hold organizers responsible for any damage.
“This is economic terrorism. The goons had specific targets which they destroyed. Enough is enough,”
he added.
Meanwhile, security officials are racing against time to bring the culprits to justice. Ambrose Kyalo, Imenti North Sub-county police commander, said officers were outnumbered during the incident.
“At one point, we were overstretched, and they threw something that resembled a petrol bomb at Magunas Supermarket. Efforts to contain the fire were futile because the fire brigade arrived late and had no water,”
Kyalo explained.
He confirmed that over 80 suspects have been arrested, and investigators are analyzing CCTV footage from nearby buildings to identify all those involved.
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Makutano Traders Claim Goons Who Burned Magunas Supermarket Were Sourced From Far
