A week after dozens of houses and stalls were burnt down in a clash that ensued after the lapse of Azimio protests in the country, many Kibera residents were left counting losses.
The Star took a tour of Kibra on Monday to establish the latest happenings considering the Azimio leader Raila Odinga called off the mass protests.
This is after President William Ruto proposed a bipartisan approach to solving several issues they raised.
Rosalia Mutiso was involved in the business of selling bags. For now, she has no stock as all were consumed by the Monday, March 27 fire tragedy.
Some of her stock was taken away by hooligans before the stall went up in flames.
" I had heard there was a fire near the church. I knew my stall was near the church but I didn't want to believe mine could be affected till I came the following morning to find ashes," Rosalia said.
With Raila and Ruto now agreeing to a dialogue, Rosalia is asking the two to find ways of compensating traders who incurred massive losses.
She says the business was her source of income and she is now struggling to pick up again to sustain herself.
"It is good that Raila and Ruto have put an end to the demos, but we need help to put our lives back together. Especially our sources of income. If we could get our businesses running again, that would be good," she said.
Mark Tizodi, who owned a stall selling shirts and blankets, was also affected.
When the Star arrived, he was reconstructing his stall in a bid to pick up himself from the fall occasioned by the demos.
He said his stall was equally looted before it was set on fire.
He lauded the reconciliatory gesture shown by the two leaders and said even though they have lost their businesses, they can bounce back again in a peaceful environment.
"We have nothing else to lose. We have already lost our businesses, so even if they talk without helping, even though Baba promised to help but till now we have seen no kind of help," Tizodi told the Star.
He said he is not only looking for money to reconstruct his business but also capital to replace the stolen goods.
"Sadly, we are the ones financing the reconstruction. We can't be begging daily. All we are seeking is that our stalls be reconstructed, some capital, even half so that our lives may pick up from where we left off before the demos. That is our main cry," Tizodi said.
He said even if Raila and Ruto's discussion fails to bear fruits, he is not in support of demos.
"Raila and Ruto are two bulls fighting. At the end of the day, we are the ones suffering. We are the ones being stepped on. We are the ones drying. Those demos are not helping," he said.
"We appreciate that Baba said he would help, and we are still waiting for his help. We met Baba but we are yet to get any help from him," he said.
In a meeting with Church leaders and the Nubian community in Kibra last week, Raila sympathised with those whose properties were destroyed in the demos adding that he would provide resources to help the residents reconstruct their stalls.
Despite this, the business owners who spoke to the Star said they have received no help to date.
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