Dy Dickson Macharia
Angry traders in Embu on Thursday morning descended on businesses owned by area Governor Martin Wambora where they looted and vandalised shops, including some owned by the county chief.
The traders also pelted Mr. Wambora's car with stones as they vented their anger over grounded fire engines which lay idle as fire razed down their businesses.
Also Read:
The raging fire broke out at 3 am on Thursday but the county's unserviced fire-fighting vehicles were of no help, sparking fury among traders who watched their goods worth millions of shillings destroyed.
Anti-riot police officers had to be deployed to disperse the angry residents who blamed the county for the unserviced fire engines.
Governor Wambora was attacked at Marigiti market in Embu town where he sought to address the traders whose shops were gutted by the fire.
The chaos began when Wambora failed to answer why the fire engines were grounded yet his county officers collect taxes from the traders every day.
Efforts by the area MCA Morris Nyaga aka Kolo to calm the volatile situation failed as the traders started throwing stones at the governor, prompting his motorcade to speed off.
This maddened the traders even more and they stormed the governor's restaurant, Country View, in downtown Embu where they gorged themselves and drank some of the stocked beer.
Transport was paralyzed Thursday morning after protestors barricaded key roads, namely Embu-Nairobi, Embu-Machakos and Embu-Meru highways.
As at 1 pm Thursday, the fire had not yet been contained.
The cause of the raging inferno has not been established.