Nakuru City remained calm most of the morning hours Thursday with slow business as traders kept their shops closed over fear of chaos and the ensuing losses.
The town was deserted with heavy police presence ostensibly to counter any protesters who would enter the town centre.
A food kiosk owner within the town, Mary Waitherero, said she was afraid of opening her shop because the protests might commence later in the day.
She added that she encountered major losses on Tuesday in terms of spoilt food because her customers stayed away from town.
“I do not want to cook and discard the food because human traffic in the town is low, many people have stayed away today just like they did on Tuesday,” she said.
There was heavy police presence within the town with the largest contingents being around major government installations such as the law court, Nakuru county assembly, Nakuru county headquarters and State House, Nakuru.
According to sources, three Kenya Defence Forces lorries full of soldiers were deployed to State House, Nakuru on Tuesday evening after protesters attempted to access the facility.
Police say 20 people were shot, two of them fatally, when thousands of protesters attempted to access State House, Nakuru on Tuesday evening.
This was the second time the protesters were making the attempt after an earlier move in the morning was thwarted by anti-riot police officers.
Today, police contingents have also been deployed in strategic points in Nakuru Town West where protesters have been converging before started their walk.
The major gathering points in Nakuru Town West have been Stage 140, Kolen, Holy Cross and Shabab Township.
The protesters from Nakuru Town West have been walking more than four kilometres to join their colleagues from Nakuru Town East in the city’s Central Business District.
