Videos of a Mazda CX-5 engulfed in flames on Monday in Githurai during the demonstrations against high fuel prices was one of the low points of the day.
Soon after, different versions started emerging of how the car was torched and the identity of the victim.
The Nation interviewed Reverend Henry Larweh, the man who was driving the car moments before it was reduced to a shell. Rev Larweh is a Ghanaian living in Kenya. He is married to a Kenyan, Priscilla Larweh Martey.
Mr Larweh was not prepared for what happened and found himself caught up in the violence when groups of people took to the streets in protest. Instead of demonstrating peacefully, they started stopping vehicles and stealing from people.
In an interview with the Nation , Mr Larweh admitted that he had underestimated the significance of the demonstrations.
He said he did not anticipate such violence during the demonstrations organised by matatu operators and other transport sector stakeholders.
That morning, he left his house in Kilimani, Nairobi, heading to the Kamakis, near the Eastern Bypass, to buy building materials for a project on their farm. Workers were waiting for him to arrive before they could start the job.
Rev Larweh was driving the car usually used by his wife. When he left Kilimani, there was tension, but the demonstrations had not yet begun.
“At the TRM area, I came to a barricade, but I pleaded with the demonstrators to let me through. They said that I should buy them tea. I sent them some money via M-Pesa and they opened it for me,” said Mr Larweh.
Reverend Henry Larwey narrating how his vehicle was torched in Nairobi during the fuel price protests as his wife, Priscilla Njiraini, popularly known as Madam P, looks on.
Photo credit: Evans Habil| Nation Media Group
He assumed the barrier was the only obstacle and that he would reach his destination without further disruption. However, a rowdy group appeared a few metres away and demanded money.
Upon reaching Githurai, suspected thugs stopped him. Before he could switch off the engine, they started pelting his car with stones.
They snatched his phone, and the moment he stepped out of the car to confront the youths, his pockets were ransacked and emptied.
“I said I wouldn’t hurt anyone, since I’m not Kenyan and it’s against the law. So I got out and started talking to them as I had before. But without my phone, I was confused; I didn’t know what to do,” he told the Nation .
Rev Henry Larweh during an interview at his Kilimani office in Nairobi.
Photo credit: Evans Habil| Nation Media Group
Inside the car was a scarf bearing the colours of UDA. Priscilla aspires to contest the Kilimani Ward seat in next year’s elections for the position of MCA, through the ruling party, and she recently used the scarf.
Her husband was fine with her keeping the scarf in the car — after all, it belonged to her. He had no idea that it would become the subject of his ordeal, which almost cost him his life.
“When I got out to talk to them, they saw the UDA sash and started shouting. I was confused because I don’t speak Kiswahili. They started shouting that I was Burundian,” he said.
Within seconds, his car was vandalised and set on fire.
One of the demonstrators, who realised that he could not speak Kiswahili, grabbed his hand and escorted him to the nearby police station, where he made a statement.
Unfortunately, it took the police officers more than two hours to assist him, he said.
Rev Henry Larweh during an interview at his Kilimani office in Nairobi.
Photo credit: Evans Habil| Nation Media Group
“I don’t know the Kenyan system that well, but where I come from, it would have been handled differently and the car might still be intact. Here, it looks like the system is very different,” he said.
He said protests are rare in Ghana, but when they do happen, they are peaceful, with the police providing security to ensure protesters do not interfere with other people’s daily lives.
His wife said she bought the car three years ago, adding that the incident has not changed her political stance and that she is in the race for the seat.
“I don’t know about the Kenyan system that much, but where I come from, it would have been managed and maybe the car would still be intact. Here, it looks like the system is very different,” he said. “I was disappointed, and I felt so sad for the country. I almost lost my life. The experience was scary.”
He stated that demonstrations are rare in Ghana, but when they do happen, they are peaceful and the police provide security to ensure protestors do not interfere with other people's daily lives.
His wife says that she bought the Mazda CX-5 about three years ago. She stated that the outcome has not changed her political stand and that she is strongly behind President William Ruto’s reelection, and that she will vie for the MCA seat come 2027.
They have also said that they are rooting for the investigation authorities to probe the matter and arrest the culprits.
