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Thika Road temporarily rendered impassable as residents stage protests
14th January, 2026 07:46 PM
Activities along the busy Thika Superhighway were brought to a standstill for about 30 minutes on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, after residents of Witeithie, Maraba and Muthaara areas in Juja, Kiambu County, staged protests over a spike in child abductions.
Police’s laxity
The demonstrators accused police of laxity and failure to act despite what they described as an alarming rise in cases of children being stolen from the neighbourhoods.
Speaking to journalists at Witeithie, the agitated residents said at least four children have been abducted from Maraba and Muthaara within the past two weeks.
Two of the children have since been found alive, while the circumstances surrounding the other cases remain unclear.
“The situation has become unbearable. Four children in less than two weeks is not normal, yet no arrests have been made,” Nelly Muthoni, one of the protest leaders, said.
“We keep reporting these cases but nothing seems to be happening,” she added.
Recent abduction case
The most recent incident involved a Grade Nine pupil who was allegedly abducted on Monday, January 13, 2025, while running an errand to a nearby shop in Maraba after being sent by her mother.
She was later found late at night at Kimuchu village in Kiganjo area, Thika, several kilometers away from her home.
“This child disappeared in broad daylight. If the community had not raised alarm, we don’t know what would have happened,” another resident, Martin Mwangi, stated.
“This points to an organised syndicate that must be stopped immediately,” Mwangi noted.
The protesters demanded increased police patrols, speedy investigations and the arrest of suspected traffickers operating in the area.
They warned that continued inaction could push residents to take matters into their own hands.
“We do not want to take the law into our hands, but if the police fail to protect our children, we will be forced to act,” Muthoni warned.
The protest briefly disrupted traffic along the Thika Superhighway before calm was restored.
