A group of men believed to be traders were Tuesday seen walking with batons in some streets of Nairobi’s central business district (CBD).
This happened even as protests continued in various parts of the town.
The group of men wore face masks started by conducting patrols in some streets while chasing away those found to be idling.
“Kama huna shughuli hapa toka, kama huna shughuli enda nyumbani (if you do not have any business here go away, go home),” they were heard yelling as they walked.
It was not immediately clear what their role was or if they had been hired to protect the businesses from destruction.
Most shops, however, remained closed in the city with anti-riot police battling the protesters.
Last week, President William Ruto stated that the peaceful protests have been infiltrated by criminals.
Cases of mugging and property destruction have characterised the ongoing demonstrations in major towns across the country.
Earlier on, two suspected thieves were handed over to the police after their attempts to break into shops in the CBD were foiled.
In the first case, a man was found with metal rod trying to break into a shop along Kimathi Street while the other one was found with printer.
