Shocking Video: Police Caught Allegedly Escalating Magunas Supermarket Fire

A startling new video circulating widely on X (formerly Twitter) has ignited public outrage, appearing to capture police officers in an unexpected and alarming act amid the Magunas Supermarket fire at Makutano, Meru County.

The footage, now fueling widespread condemnation, reveals uniformed officers allegedly collaborating with plain-clothed individuals to escalate what began as a small blaze into a full-scale inferno.

What the Video Appears to Show

The widely shared video, which has been verified by initial reports, details a series of disturbing actions:

Arrival of a Police Lorry: A police lorry arrives at the scene of what appears to be a small, contained fire burning beneath a makeshift luggage bay located directly under the supermarket building.

Coordinated Operation: Over five uniformed officers, accompanied by at least one individual in plain clothes, are seen staging what appears to be a coordinated operation.

Window Smashing and Lookouts: Some officers are observed acting as lookouts, seemingly providing cover, while others are seen deliberately throwing stones at the supermarket’s lower-level windows—directly above the initial small fire.

Suspected Arson: The plain-clothed individual is then captured lifting a burning rod, moving towards the supermarket's main entrance, and subsequently returning empty-handed, strongly suggesting a deliberate act of ignition within the interior of the building.

Casual Departure: After the blaze rapidly grows through the now broken windows and engulfs the main building, the group of officers and the plain-clothed individual are seen leaving the scene casually, seemingly unbothered by the escalating chaos and destruction they allegedly contributed to.

The sequence of events depicted in the video appears to be clear: a localised fire in a luggage bay beneath the supermarket is transformed into a massive, uncontrolled inferno engulfing the main building, allegedly with direct police participation.

Public Reaction and Calls for Accountability

The video has unleashed widespread fury across social media platforms. Many users are pointing out what they perceive as glaring hypocrisy: While top government officials have publicly blamed protesters for acts of destruction and arson during recent demonstrations, this footage suggests a coordinated, deliberate act perpetrated by officers sworn to protect public property and maintain order.

@Wanyandeevans: “Police in this country are thugs.”

@janetmachuka_: “Wueeeh!” (A Kiswahili exclamation of shock or disbelief.)

@Manyonge12: “They clearly knew what they were doing.”

@_James041: “ATPU is detaining innocent youths for crimes committed by state-sponsored terrorists.”

@vick_kiprotich: “If you collapse it (the luggage bay), the fire burns out quickly. But the agenda had to continue—tunaelewa (we understand).”

@mi6rima: “@DCI_Kenya we’re still waiting on your response!”

@LensuMotors: “Kenya is finished. The government is now hiring goons to derail anyone who opposes them. Looks like you can’t do business and be against the regime.”

Why It Matters

This video introduces new, deeply concerning context that directly challenges earlier assumptions about the source and nature of the Magunas Supermarket fire.

It underscores the urgent need for deeper, impartial fact-finding before drawing definitive conclusions about property destruction during civil unrest.

In an already tense national atmosphere, visuals like these can severely erode public trust in state institutions, particularly concerning the integrity of security operations during protests.

The quiet, unhurried departure of the officers seen in the video raises profound questions that demand transparent and immediate answers from authorities.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) are likely to face intense pressure to launch a thorough investigation into these grave allegations, given their mandates to investigate police misconduct and serious crimes.