According to Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, the county suffered a loss of about Sh40 million as a result of the Azimio protests that took place on Monday.
Tuesday at City Hall, Sakaja claimed that the county only brought in less than half of the daily revenue. “We collected Sh30.3 million yesterday (Monday) which is not even half of our regular daily revenue collection,” he said. This report is courtesy of The Star Kenya, a Kenyan news platform.
The governor disclosed that the county brings in between Sh70 million and Sh80 million on a daily average. Although the county is still assessing the damages, the cost of the infrastructure's damages may exceed Sh40 million.
The county administrator explained that residents tended to avoid using digital services because there was little interaction with them.
"This shows you how greatly Nairobi was affected by the protests and if we allow this to happen every Monday, the county will lose more," Sakaja added.
The Governor was speaking as the Rapid Results Initiative got underway. He noted that many people stayed away from Nairobi's Nairobi's Central Business District for concern over the safety of their cars. Rigathi Gachagua, the deputy president, claimed on Monday that the protests had cost the nation Sh2 billion.
“Due to lack of business in the Nairobi CBD, the country has lost almost Sh2 billion in terms of business and the money could have been circulating in the economy,” the governor stated.
Governor Johnson Sakaja explained that a number of business owners chose not to open their locations out of concern for looting and property damage after learning what transpired in Kisumu, where chairs and food were stolen.
The Azimio protest is a protest led by opposition leader Raila Odinga to call out President William Ruto's government. Mr. Odinga accused the government of being "illegitimate", and failing to tackle the high cost of living, and a number of Kenyans seem to share the same sentiments, given that this is Kenya’s biggest protest against President William Ruto since he assumed office.
This protest has caused many businesses to shut down in the city, due to fears of looting, and at least one person has been reportedly shot in the capital, and many protesters teargassed by the police. The protest which began on, Monday, 20th of March, has also spread to other cities outside of Nairobi, and the roads leading to key government buildings have been blocked and the president's official residence sealed off.