A standoff ensued on Monday, August 23, between police officers and locals residing along Thika Road after a beer truck veered off and overturned.
Kasarani OCPD Peter Mwanzo told Kenyans.co.ke that the chaos ensued after locals rushed to the scene of the accident in a bid to scrumble for the beer.
Mwanzo added that officers deployed to the scene engaged the residents in a bid to calm the situation.
Chaos, teargas as Kenya Breweries overturns at Rosyambu Thika Road. It’s Christmas comes early for some Kenyans as they help themselves with the loot. pic.twitter.com/otUJWrBZrK
— Ahmed Mohamed ((ASMALi)) (@Asmali77) August 23, 2021
"I have officers on the ground currently to contain the situation," Mwanzo stated.
Videos circulating online depicted a free-for-all scenario where locals tussled for the loot. The melee of people led to massive traffic on the dual carriageway as cars moved at a snail's pace.
No casualties were reported as at the time of publishing this story.
Mwanzo cautioned against the looting pointing out different scenarios where locals end up dying during such chaotic scenarios.
The chaos is primarily witnessed when trucks overturn, and locals rush to loot the merchandise be it beer or petrol. However, not all live to tell the tales as most cases end in a fatal ordeal when the truck explodes.
On Sunday, July 18, over 12 people perished after a petrol tanker exploded in Malanga along Kisumu-Busia road. The locals had rushed to siphon the fuel after the truck overturned and minutes later the truck exploded.
The tragedy elicited a lot of reactions online from Kenyans and politicians who condemned why the victims endangered their lives by rushing to the tanker.
"As we mourn and reflect, I hope that this may be the last time our people are dying out of a scramble for fuel from an overturned tanker," Raila tweeted minutes after the tragedy.
