Widow appeals for help after stock worth over Sh62,000 looted at Kisumu Nyota event

A widow from Kisumu is appealing for help after losing goods worth more than Sh62,000 when youths allegedly looted vendors' stock during the Nyota Programme disbursement event at Jomo Kenyatta Stadium, Mamboleo. 

The incident occurred on Monday as President William Ruto attended the youth empowerment event, which attracted thousands of people from Kisumu, Siaya and Homa Bay counties. 

Meren Amol, a small-scale trader and mother, said she had gone to the stadium to sell soft drinks and snacks, her main source of income to support her children.

 “I went to Mamboleo Stadium happily to do business. As a widow, this is what I do to feed my children,” Amol said.

 She said a group of youths suddenly descended on her vending area, grabbing crates of soda, bottled water and plastic sodas before disappearing into the crowd. 

“They took glass and plastic bottles, water and. I had 20 crates in total. I lost stock worth about Sh62,000,” she said. 

Amol explained that the goods were supplied by distributors under an agreement where vendors sell and later remit payment, meaning she is now under pressure to pay for stock she no longer has.

 “The distributor wants his money and does not want to know what happened. I am now stranded,” she said. 

Other traders at the stadium who were with their daughters reported similar losses. 

Denis Ouma, another vendor, said he was shocked by the incident, noting that they did not anticipate such chaos during a presidential function.

 “This is something we have done before. We never expected what happened. Youths came and took everything, leaving us stranded. We had stock worth over Sh60,000,” Ouma said, adding that he was with two others, including his sister.

 Another trader, Felix Odhiambo, said they were now being forced to pay distributors.

 “We had taken the sodas from distributors. What happened yesterday has put us in a difficult position. The distributor wants the money or a police case,” Odhiambo said. 

The affected vendors are now appealing to well-wishers and authorities for assistance, saying the losses have pushed them into financial distress. 

By the time of publication, police had not issued an official statement regarding the incident. 

The incident was captured on video by Quenter Awuor, whose clip later went viral on TikTok.

 Awuor said she was moved to record and share the video after learning that the woman was a widow.

 “I heard that the woman was a widow, and I understood her pain because I was raised under similar circumstances myself and started hustling at the age of 12,” Awuor said.

 “I took the video to air her plight and hopefully attract well-wishers who can help her. Whathappened was very unfortunate.”