Eastleigh North MCA Ahmedqadar Mohamed Dabar has called on the youth to avoid disrupting businesses during protests, saying demonstrations should not come at the expense of people’s livelihoods and the national economy.

During an interview on Radio Generation, Dabar said that while he supports the right to protest, it must be exercised responsibly without interfering with others who are going about their business.

He warned that violent protests in commercial areas like Eastleigh were hurting the same young people they were meant to help.

“I was elected in the commercial centre of Eastleigh, and the people there are purely doing business. They don’t have any interest in politics. Every minute that a shop is closed is an economic loss to them and the country,” Dabar said on Friday.

The Nairobi MCA revealed that many traders in Eastleigh have clients who come from different countries and rely on tight schedules to complete their transactions.

He gave an example of a Congolese buyer who visited the area, paid for goods, and booked a hotel, but had to cancel his plans due to the chaos.

“Maybe he had a flight back. If he finds shops closed, it messes up everything,” Dabat added.

The legislator stressed the importance of respecting everyone’s rights, saying, “I cannot fight for my rights and then violate yours. Let people exercise their democratic right, but don’t bring grievances to the business place.”

Dabar also accused unnamed politicians of using the youth’s frustrations for political gain.

The City MCA said most Eastleigh residents have no political interest but only want to operate their businesses peacefully.

“The only political interest they have is to open, to sell, and to contribute to the country’s economy,” he said.

The ward representative also acknowledged that the grievances raised by the youth are valid and can be addressed.

“What the youth are agitating for is something that can be done. It is only political people who have an interest that have converted the agenda of the youth,” he stated.

Dabar welcomed the call by Prime Minister and ODM leader Raila Odinga for national dialogue, saying meaningful conversations are the way to resolve such issues.

“That is how things are addressed everywhere in the world. People talk, and when we talk, solutions come,” he said.

While concluding, Dabar warned that violent actions like looting and destruction of property only hurt young people by destroying businesses that employ them.

“Some supermarkets that were looted have over 100 youth employed. If you destroy such businesses, you are making youth lose jobs,” he noted.

He explained that Eastleigh alone has over 30,000 youths working in small-scale retail businesses, with more than 24,000 jobs spread across the area’s malls.

“Every shop has employed two to three people,” Dabar said, adding that burning shops and disrupting trade only deepens youth unemployment.

Earlier in the week, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen reported the arrest of about 1,500 suspects linked to the violent protests across different parts of Kenya on June 25 and July 7, 2025.

The chaos left in its aftermath a trail of destruction of burnings, vandalism, and looting with neither public nor private institutions spared.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, July 15, Murkomen provided gave an update on ongoing police investigations, reiterating the government’s pledge to prosecute all perpetrators.