Chaos after police break up protests in Kitengela
By Christine Musa, August 9, 2024
Running battles erupted in Kitengela town yesterday as anti-riot police officers tried to disperse hundreds of protestors who were trying to barricade the Nairobi-Namanga highway.
The relative calm which had prevailed in the populous town for the better part of the morning suddenly gave way to running battles between the protestors and the police, who had been deployed heavily in the town from dawn.
The anti-riot police were forced to lob teargas canisters at the youthful protestors who tried to block the busy highway, leaving scores injured as residents scampered to safety.
Dozens of the protestors were arrested and locked up at the Kitengela police station for their role in the protests.
Most businesses in the town, which has borne the brunt of the Generation Z protests in recent weeks, remained shut for the better part of the day for fear of looting. The few traders who opened their business complained about lack of customers.
Kajiado County Commissioner James Taari and Governor Joseph Ole Lenku had on Wednesday held a crisis meeting with the business community and warned that they would not tolerate any demonstrations in the densely populated town.
The two leaders urged the local business community not to close their premises, promising adequate security. They also ordered all bars closed by 11 pm Wednesday night.
However, most businesses remained closed for the better part of the day with traders not taking any chances given the scale of looting and vandalism which had been witnessed in the two during recent protests.
“We will not take any chances whatsoever. The commissioner and Lenku were out to regain relevance by telling us what we wanted to hear. Given what we have gone through in the recent past, we are not ready to risk our little stock, we’d rather remain closed for a day than suffer the losses we have incurred before,” said Joyce Msengu, a trader.
The busy Kitengela slaughter house recorded a seventy percent drop in business with livestock traders staying away for fear of being caught up in the running battles between the police and protestors.