Esther Wanjiru stands in the shell of what was once her beauty salon in downtown Nairobi, her anguished face reflecting the pain of someone whose livelihood has been snatched from her.
Behind her, looted shelves and twisted grilles tell the story of destruction that has become painfully familiar across Kenya as vandals target businesses in the name of anti-government protests.
While the latest wave of street demonstrations purports to be a legacy of the youth-led movement against proposed additional taxes and rising cost of living in Kenya, evidence suggests anarchy has seeped into what was projected to be a just cause.
"I pray that the government provides us security," a tearful Esther pleads in one among several videos featuring heartbreaking scenes of businesses run to the ground by the rioters.
"They should think about how they will refund the losses we have suffered. I am left with nothing. I don't know whether I should go back to the village or what," she says.
Esther had closed her shop to avoid the demonstrations and protect her inventory. She returned to find the place stripped bare by vandals hiding behind the façade of democratic protest.
What makes her plight particularly cruel is the burden of the loan she took to build her business. Without a functioning salon, she has no way of generating the income needed to repay her lender.
Destructive intent
Esther's story isn't an exception. Neither are small businesses the only ones that have borne the brunt of the escalating street mayhem unleashed under the cover of anti-government protests. Vandals haven't spared even supermarkets, electronic shops and restaurants.
The vandal gangs smash through doors and windows, loot methodically and, if it suits them, torch some of these establishments.
Counting the costs
The economic haemorrhage caused by the upheaval has been severe.
A Geopol survey this month revealed that 41% of Kenyans experienced business disruptions, while 35% missed work or school due to the violent protests.
According to an estimate by the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), disruptive protests on June 25 alone cost the country an estimated Ksh 3 billion (US $23.25 million) through lost sales, missed opportunities and infrastructure damage.
"The Nairobi County government lost approximately Ksh 6 million in daily parking levies, while fear triggered by the protests reduced economic activity and raised prices of basic goods, while also deterring foreign investors due to negative international media coverage," KEPSA reported.
Grim prognosis
Faced with this economic crisis, the government's response was swift.
President Ruto's immediate antidote to the agitation getting out of hand was an administrative order to the security forces to take drastic action after vandalism and arson targeting businesses.
For Wanjiru and thousands of other business owners, another telling blow was interior cabinet secretary Kipchumba Murkomen's public announcement that it was beyond the government's power to provide compensation.
"Unfortunately, we do not have the budgetary allocation to do so," he said, describing the destruction of property as "terrorism" couched in protest.
"The best law would have been for the protest organisers to bear the greatest responsibility (and compensate for the losses)," Murkomen suggested.
The implicit message was that those who lost everything must somehow rebuild on their own rather than wait for government aid or protection.
As tensions simmer, Wanjiru's question hangs in the air — return to her village, or somehow find a way to start again?
