Looting Hits Nairobi Suburbs Amid Saba Saba Unrest, Exposing Breakdown in Security Response

Nairobi, Kenya – July 9, 2025

The ripple effects of the Saba Saba protests have now reached Nairobi’s suburban neighborhoods, as looters descended on supermarkets in Kangemi and Ngong, turning the unrest into a full-blown security crisis.

According to eyewitness reports and coverage by the Associated Press, small but aggressive groups—largely composed of youths—have been raiding shops and supermarkets, stripping shelves bare and reportedly stealing cash from tills. While the protests began as a youth-led call for justice and reform, the latest developments suggest a dangerous mutation of the movement into opportunistic criminality.

“They knew what they were doing,” said one local trader in Kangemi, watching over the wreckage of his shuttered store. “These weren’t random thieves. They were organized.”

This sentiment has gained traction across affected neighborhoods, where traders and residents now fear that the protests have been infiltrated by well-coordinated criminal rings. The chaotic geography of the suburbs—narrow lanes and crowded housing—has made it difficult for police to reassert control, despite increased deployments.

Security forces appear overstretched and under-prepared, leaving both small business owners and residents vulnerable. Videos circulating online show overwhelmed officers unable to contain looters, even as shopkeepers plead for help. In some instances, locals have taken it upon themselves to defend property with makeshift barricades.

These developments further complicate the already volatile national mood. What began as a legitimate outcry against poor governance, economic hardship, and corruption is now at risk of being delegitimized by spiraling lawlessness. For many Kenyans, the question is no longer just political—it’s existential.

“We want our voices heard,” said a youth organizer in Ngong. “But we do not support theft. That’s not protest—it’s destruction.”

As Nairobi teeters on the brink, urgent calls are mounting for a coordinated security and political response—one that protects the rights of peaceful protesters while decisively cracking down on those using the moment to loot and terrorize.