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At least one person was shot and seriously injured while several other people injured as protesters attempted to march to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) yesterday.

The National Police Service had deployed about 3,500 officers across the city to prevent the protesters from accessing the airport and breaching other vital installations.

As the crowd surged, the officers were later joined by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers at the airport.

The first encounter was around the Nyayo Stadium on Mombasa road where police fired live ammunition, lobbed teargas canisters and used water cannons when one of the protesters was shot.

What followed was hours of running battles along major roads including Outering Road, North Airport Road and Mombasa Road. Chaos were also witnessed in Kitengela, Kahawa West and other towns including Karatina.

The government appeared to have resorted to engaging other associations and individuals to condemn and counter the ongoing protests.

On Monday, at least three different groups held press briefings in the city condemning the protests and even threatening to deal with the protesters.

Members of County Assemblies (MCA) allied to the Kenya Kwanza government, the Business Community and the Boda Boda Association of Kenya (BAK) on Monday held separate briefing with the same message; “enough is enough!”

Yesterday, the protests started in Nairobi with a group on motorcycles riding around the city saying they supported the government and the anti-government protests needed to cease.

The apparently organised group rode through various streets before they later clashed with the protesters at the junction of Kenyatta Avenue and Moi Avenue. As a result, a motorcycle was burnt and two riders beaten up by the mob before police intervened.

Vital installations

Though traffic was not heavy in the city, the flow was affected for hours as police used teargas canisters and water cannons to disperse the group. In most areas, shops remained closed as most residents kept off.

In the morning, the acting Inspector General Douglas Kanja also issued a warning to the protestors stating that they would not be allowed to access any of the city’s vital installations, including the JKIA.

“In light of the planned demonstrations, it is critical to firmly remind the public of the legal boundaries governing access to protected areas,” he said.

He added: “Unauthorised persons should desist from accessing protected areas prescribed under the Protected Areas Act Cap 204 laws of Kenya, including the LPG Plant, the Bitumen Plant and Petroleum depots situated at the Embakasi Aviation Depot (JKIA).”

Addressing the media at Jogoo House accompanied by the acting Deputy Inspector General of Kenya Police Eliud Lagat and his Administration Police Service counterpart James Kamau and DCI boss Mohamed Amin, Kanja reiterated that the airport is among key installations that are classified as out of bounds.

Barricaded by police

“No one should try to access the airport if he or she is not wanted there. This is a prohibited zone,” he said.
Major roads were barricaded by police in the city with other deployed near the Parliament as the House resumed sessions.

Similar deployments were witnessed on roads near State House in Nairobi and other major state lodges in major towns.

Kanja has also warned that though the protests by the Gen-Zs were initially peaceful, some criminals had infiltrated them, leading to violence, theft and destruction of properties, and also a disturbing state of disorder in our country.

“The magnitude of loss that the country has suffered is evident in the lives that have been lost, the people, both civilians and police officers, that have been injured, property including police vehicles, and businesses that have been destroyed, and people that have lost their livelihoods,” he stated.

More than 50 people have so far been killed and 400 others wounded in the chaos.