On Thursday, May 14, hundreds of residents raided the home of a local chief in Igembe South, Meru County.
The residents claimed that the Chief Gerald Kithia was biased when issuing stipends meant to cushion vulnerable residents during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Residents claimed that those who received the stipends are people who are capable of financing themselves. They alleged that the vulnerable did not receive the stipends," a journalist in the area told Kenyans.co.ke.
The demonstrators, who had carried rocks, sticks and machetes, destroyed the chief's fence and wanted to torch it, before police from Laare Police Station arrived.
The demonstrators outnumbered the police and were forced to fire in the air to disperse the angry crowd.
However, that did not calm them down. They were confident that the officers would not shoot them.
Officers received reinforcement from GSU and the riot took around three hours to cool down.
Area Chief Kithia stated that residents of neighbouring Ntunene Location had received word that some people had received stipends of the Covid-19 money twice, whereas they were yet to receive any.
Kithia alleged that residents in Ntunene Location had incited the demonstrators.
“My farm borders Ntunene so people pass by here when going to withdraw the money and they incite my people saying they have an ineffective chief.
"If it were not for police, my house would have been razed and I would have probably been killed," he stated.
Assistant Chief Ronano Muchiri also weighed in on the matter saying that some people had been mobilised and were told to go and riot at the chief's home.
"The way they came here, they were arranged and pushed to come here. If it was about the money, they would have gone to the office. This issue is about incitement, we don’t store money in the office,” he stated.
