Embu journalist recounts frantic moments before his car was reduced to ashes in UDA chaos
By Steve Ireri, September 12, 2026Murimi Wa Mugendi, a journalist working for Wimwaro FM, has narrated how he learnt that his Ksh700,000 car had been torched during the chaos that erupted outside a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) meeting in Embu.
Speaking after the incident on Saturday, September 12, 2026, Murimi said he was among journalists covering the UDA grassroots mobilisation and empowerment meeting at Nembure Stadium in Manyatta Constituency when violence broke out outside the venue.
Murimi said he was going about his work covering the event when he was informed that his vehicle had become one of those targeted amid the escalating chaos.
“I work for Wimwaro FM, and I was among the journalists who were covering this event. But unfortunately, because of the chaos, I was informed that my car was among those that were being attacked,” he said.
He said the situation deteriorated so rapidly that by the time he could make his way to where the vehicle had been parked, the chaos had already spread across the area.
“Even before I could get there, the chaos was everywhere. I was informed that the car was in flames,” Murimi said.
The fire left him counting the cost of the violence, with the journalist estimating the value of his vehicle at approximately Ksh700,000.
Murimi further revealed that his phone was inside the car when it was torched, alongside documents including his identification card and press card, leaving him to deal with the loss of both his vehicle and personal belongings.
“So I would say that I have incurred a loss of my car. It is around Ksh700,000, and my phone was also there, along with other official documents like my ID card and press card. For now, that is what I can say,” he said.
Murimi’s vehicle was caught up in a chaotic scene outside Nembure Stadium as hundreds of youths who had been denied entry into the UDA gathering confronted police officers deployed to secure the venue.
The meeting, which was led by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire, had been restricted to invited party officials and delegates, leaving hundreds of local youths outside the stadium.
Tension had been building from the morning as groups of youths associated with rival political factions gathered outside the venue, with chants and heckling adding to the increasingly charged atmosphere.
The situation eventually boiled over when some of the youths attempted to force their way into the secured venue, prompting security officers to move in and repel them.
What followed was a series of running battles between the youths and riot police, with officers firing teargas as the protesters responded by throwing stones.
Thick clouds of teargas soon engulfed parts of the area as police attempted to disperse the crowds, turning the surroundings of the stadium into a scene of confusion and panic.
Amid the confrontation, several vehicles were torched or damaged, with Murimi’s car becoming one of the most significant losses reported from the violence.
The chaos also extended to people leaving the meeting, with Governor Mbarire saying some of the delegates were mugged and robbed as they made their way out of the venue.
Some of those caught in the chaos were forced to seek refuge in nearby homes as the clashes intensified outside the stadium.
Inside the venue, the tension was also palpable, with the smell of teargas and the sound of explosions adding to the panic as security officers tightened their protection around Kindiki and Mbarire.
The two leaders were eventually evacuated from the venue by their security teams as the situation outside continued to deteriorate.