They are not going down without a fight. Traders from Jomo Kenyatta beach in Mombasa county paralysed transport between Bamburi Junction and Bamburi Mtamboni to protest over demolition of their stalls by the county government. The traders staged protests after a number of their stalls were set on fire by the county security officers under orders from Governor Hassan Joho.
The traders expressed their disappointment to the county leadership over what they said were demolitions without prior notice to vacate.
The demonstrations became more chaotic when beach operators joined the protests in solidarity with their colleagues who were hurling stones at the county marshals.
No vehicles were allowed to use the route leading to a huge traffic snarl ups jam in Kisauni Road and Bamburi Road. The protests came barely days after Nyali MP Mohammed Ali threatened to stage demonstrations against demolition of business stalls at the beach.
The lawmaker cited lack of involvement of local leaders who he said were critical in making the residents understand the necessity and motives of such demolitions. The former KTN journalist won the Nyali MP seat in the August 8 General Election as an independent candidate.