In Summary

Tension erupted in Nairobi’s South C today after members of the South C Business Community attempted to stage a peaceful march and present a petition to Lang’ata MP Felix Odiwuor, popularly known as Jalang’o, over the deteriorating state of roads and infrastructure in the area. The protest, convened by businessman and community leader Abdirashid Biliki Hassan, was briefly disrupted by clashes that prompted police intervention, forcing parts of the media coverage to end prematurely. Despite the disruption, residents and traders maintained that the poor condition of roads in South C remains a major concern affecting businesses, mobility, and daily life.

 Members of the South C Business Community today staged a peaceful demonstration demanding urgent intervention on what they described as the worsening and neglected state of roads within the South C area.

The protest, convened by community representative Abdirashid Biliki Hassan alongside local traders and residents, sought to pressure the office of the Lang’ata Member of Parliament to address long-standing infrastructure concerns that business owners say continue to affect economic activity and accessibility in the area.

The demonstrators had planned to march from South C Shopping Centre along Muhoho Avenue to the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) offices located opposite Wilson Airport, where they intended to formally present a petition outlining their grievances.

Residents who participated in the march argued that the deteriorating road network has negatively impacted businesses, increased transport challenges, and exposed motorists and pedestrians to difficult commuting conditions. The poor state of the roads was visibly evident during the demonstration, with several sections reportedly damaged and difficult to navigate.

During the media briefing, Lang’ata MP Felix Odiwuor, commonly known as Jalang’o, reportedly acknowledged concerns surrounding infrastructure challenges in the area. He further pointed to the rapid rise of high-rise developments within South C as one of the contributing factors to the deterioration of roads. However, no technical or expert assessment was presented during the event to conclusively establish the extent to which the developments directly contributed to the current road conditions.

Addressing journalists during the protest, convenor Abdirashid Biliki Hassan accused unnamed individuals of attempting to disrupt what he described as a lawful and peaceful petition exercise.

He maintained that the residents and business community were only seeking accountability and improved infrastructure despite paying taxes and contributing to the local economy.

“We are asking our Member of Parliament to listen to us. We present to him, and we want him to address the infrastructure issues affecting South C residents and businesses,” he said.

Abdirashid further claimed that the community had formally notified authorities in advance about the planned peaceful gathering and insisted that the petition had not yet been officially received by the MP’s office at the time of the confrontation.

He warned that if local leadership failed to address the concerns raised by residents, the community would consider escalating the matter directly to the National Assembly through a separate petition process.

The demonstration later descended into tension following clashes that attracted police intervention, forcing some journalists and attendees to leave the scene before the planned conclusion of the march. It remained unclear by the end of the coverage whether the petition was eventually delivered to the intended offices.

Despite the disruption, the protest highlighted growing frustrations among South C residents and business owners over infrastructure challenges in one of Nairobi’s rapidly developing urban neighborhoods.

Community leaders have continued to call for dialogue between elected leaders, government agencies, and stakeholders to address the concerns and prevent further tensions in future engagements.

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