Chaos in Mathare as residents protest crackdown on illegal connections
Transport on Juja Road was on Monday disrupted near the Moi Airbase Eastleigh after youth from Mathare slums engaged police in running battles.
The youth were protesting the confiscation of their car wash equipment by personnel from the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company.
The youth were reportedly found using illegal water connections to run car wash business.
Police were forced to shoot in the air and lobe teargas canisters to disperse the rioting youth.
One of the youth, Peter Njuguna, told journalists that they were using water from a burst pipe to wash cars and the water company had no grounds to take away their equipment.
“This is a community car wash and the entire community contributed in buying the machine, ” he told journalists. “We saw a burst water pipe and saw no need of letting the water go to waste and we decided to use it to make a few coin.”.
Reuben Ruheni added: “We have agreed to end the riots and gave selected a few of us to go and get the machine from Pangani police station. If they refuse to give it back then we will engage in riots until we get back the machine. ”
