Schools and businesses closed ahead of Ruto's Eastlands tour

Several schools in Nairobi’s Eastlands area disrupted their normal activities, fearing that President William Ruto’s tour of the area could be accompanied by incidents similar to his Tuesday visit to Mathare.

Similarly, some traders opted not to open their businesses in areas including Umoja, Outering Road, and Embakasi.

Some schools alerted parents and guardians to pick up their children as early as 10 am.to avoid “any inconveniences.”

“To avoid traffic snarl-ups in the area, we will be releasing day school students early today at noon. School transport buses will depart earlier than usual (11.50 am.),” read a message from one of the schools to a parent.

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“We kindly urge parents picking up their children to make the necessary arrangements,” the message added, a move that caught many unawares, with some parents claiming they were called to collect their children.

“I got a call from the school and had to rush home to pick up my child. It is awkward that learning has to be disrupted because of political activities.

‘‘I was also forced to cut short my activities,” James Otieno, a parent, told The Standard Friday.

A headteacher at one of the schools, who requested anonymity, said the decision was for the well-being of the learners.

“Since the function is happening within our environs, we decided to release learners early.

‘‘For those on school transport, we feared that if the situation got out of hand, it would be difficult for the driver and assisting teacher to manage,” he said.

He added, “It wasn’t safe for children and teachers in the school compound with huge crowds around, and it might have been difficult for the school’s security to handle.”

From Thursday, a schedule of President Ruto’s visit to Eastlands, which indicated he would tour Jogoo Road, Umoja, Njiru, and the larger Embakasi area, was shared.

For this reason, traders along Jogoo Road, Outering Road, and Kangundo Road, fearing the chaos that has followed Ruto’s city visits, did not open their businesses until the afternoon.

Along Kangundo Road, security was tight, with contingents of police officers stationed on the roadsides as the president made his way to Kayole Junction, where he addressed a gathering.

The roads around the area were inaccessible as youths from nearby Kayole, Mathare, Kiambiu, Kariobangi, and Dandora followed the convoy.

Daily transport services were severely interrupted across Eastlands, with matatus operating on several routes parked at petrol stations until late hours, only resuming operations after the political events concluded.

Some matatu crews said they were afraid passengers might be attacked, as witnessed on Tuesday when daring goons robbed passengers.

This came as President Ruto’s city tours have been characterised by security challenges, including incidents in Mathare and along Thika Road, where brazen thieves swarmed vehicles, snatching valuables from terrified passengers in broad daylight.

In one widely circulated clip, a group of young men were seen clinging to a moving matatu, aggressively reaching inside to steal from passengers.

The incident occurred on March, 11, 2025, just after the president had left for another location, raising questions about security during such tours by the head of state.

Another group was captured looting a parked delivery truck, stealing soft drinks intended for a wholesaler along Juja Road.