Fresh Details Emerge From Friday's Thika Road Shutdown

Fresh Details Emerge From Friday’s Thika Road Shutdown

New information has emerged indicating that the protests, which drew traffic to a halt on Thika Road in Pangani on Friday morning, were spurred by a demolition exercise that left several families homeless.

Residents now claim they organized the protests after more than 50 families were displaced when bulldozers destroyed homes and businesses during the demolition process.

According to one of the victims, they were taken off guard when the operation began at dawn after a group of armed adolescents and police officers assaulted their homes.

“We were shocked to be woken up by a group of armed youth and police officers. Many people were injured during the operation,” the resident said.

Pangani Evictions Drama

Traffic along Thika Road was brought to a standstill on Friday morning as a group of people blocked sections of the highway, disrupting transport and sparking fears among motorists.#NTVWeekendEdition @MichelleNgele_ pic.twitter.com/PqTIeJUrmg— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) July 3, 2026

The affected families told the press that the demolitions left them with nowhere to go, so they blocked the roadway to attract attention to their suffering.

The protesters barricaded sections of Thika Road near the Pangani footbridge, triggering a major traffic snarl-up that left hundreds of commuters stranded.

“The chief has been telling us to relocate even though we have lived here for years,” said another protester.

“Since January, they have been sending people to threaten us, steal from us and destroy our shops.”

A clearer video has emerged of the goons who blocked Thika Road. Armed with crude weapons, the goons stopped cars from moving on the ever-busy Thika Superhighway.

The suspected goons blocked Thika Road at Pangani this morning following an earlier demolition exercise in the area.… pic.twitter.com/9BpOA4wAbr— The Kenyan Vigilante (@KenyanSays) July 3, 2026

Footage from the scene showed heavy traffic building up as smoke billowed from the roadside.

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Several people were seen running while others moved between stranded vehicles as the protests intensified.

According to witnesses, some of the protesters were armed with machetes and other crude weapons as they marched along the highway, prompting fears among motorists caught in the traffic.

While protesting, the residents questioned why they were never given adequate notice or enough time to relocate before the demolitions were carried out.

The demolition is understood to have taken place on land at the centre of a long-running ownership dispute, but authorities have yet to issue clarification on the matter.

Police officers were later deployed to the scene to disperse the protesters and restore normal traffic flow along the busy highway.

Fresh Details Emerge From Friday’s Thika Road Shutdown

Tags: Thika Super Highway