A section of the Nyanza leaders has called for restraint from acts of ‘hooliganism or lawlessness’ during the anti-government demonstrations but warned police against the excessive use of force to quell the protests.

Led by Governors Anyang Nyong’o (Kisumu), and Ochillo Ayacko (Migori), Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay), the leaders called for peaceful demonstrations and asked police to protect lives and stop killing Kenyans.

Nyong’o condemned the excessive use of force by the police on innocent and harmless members of the public, decrying the incidents where police maimed people in Nyalenda estates last week as brutal.

“Even after stopping members of the public from exercising their democratic rights to picket over the high cost of living the police armed with all manner of weapons still pursued innocent residents deep into the residential areas and brutalized them, wrong,” the governor said.

Nyong’o also called on the police to stop profiling the people of Kisumu and the rest of Nyanza saying all they need is justice and equity, not brutality.

Ayacko was also irked by the police brutality.

“Police must protect the lives of all Kenyans. Whether there are demonstrations or not and not maim or kill innocent wananchi,” Ayacko said.

The governor decried three deaths as a result of the police shooting in Migori, saying the right to picket was legislated in law and so the police cannot overlook the law to kill innocent people.

Wanga lamented that protesters had become a victim of the law, meant to protect them, turning against them, describing the brutal actions as ‘sad’ and asking police to obey the law.

Nyong’o claimed the mostly affected groups were boda boda operators and mama mbogas (vegetable vendors), adding this will result in stereotypes, prejudice leading to wrongful arrests and brutality.

“Reports reaching me indicate that many innocent people, including those who never participated in the protests, have been harmed and arrested by the police,” Nyong’o said.

According to the governor, residents of Nyalenda, Manyatta, Obunga and Bandani are the ones who have been hit the most during the dreaded police squad covert operations.

Criminal acts

Nyong’o further called on the residents to remain vigilant and expose those taking advantage of the protests to destroy property, saying the agreement was that they conduct peaceful demonstrations.

The Kisumu leaders weren’t happy with some of the actions of the demonstrators, who deviated into criminal acts.

Yesterday, some Kisumu current and former Nyalenda MCAs also weighed in on acts of hooliganism as wrong.

“Lets us avoid what is harming and hurting others. But we also want the police to restrain from brutal force and uphold human rights values,’’ Nyalenda B ward MCA James Were said.

“The actions witnessed in Nyalenda in the last week’s demos, where police were combing some houses ejecting and whipping people was horrific and barbaric,” he added.

But a former Nyalenda A MCA Ojwang Ogendo claimed that in as much as they were blaming the police for excessive use of force, the demonstrators must also conduct themselves with civility.

Ogendo took issue with some weird behaviours by the rowdy youth, which resulted in unwarranted deaths, saying it was so wrong and disturbing that some of the youth also fight and kill themselves.

“Why must you carry knives and kill each other when you pick up a quarrel? You are your own enemies. The common enemy we are fighting here is njaa (hunger), not your own selves,’’ Ogendo asserted.

“You saw Wiper Leader and one of the Azimio principals Kalonzo Musyoka, repeatedly echoing that we hold a peaceful demonstration. That is what we want,’’ he stressed.

Azimio leader Raila Odinga has also said this many times. However, it was still, disturbing that some demonstrators would always slide into crime and deviance because they valued their own desires over the commitment to abide by the rules.

He was reacting to an incident, where a youth Moses Baddies, in Nyalenda estate, was stabbed with a knife in the abdomen and died on the spot when they picked up a simple quarrel in the neighbourhood.

“One of his peers withdrew a knife and stabbed him, as they argued over what to do and not to do during the peak of the demonstration,” Ogendo claimed.

He was irked that some suspected criminals had allegedly infiltrated the demonstrations and were using it as bait to shoplift, loot, commit burglaries and pickpocket people.

“I want to say that even if that is what will make me lose elections again come 2027, so be it, but I beseech you to stop destroying people’s property, looting, robbery and demonstrate peacefully, ’Ogendo said.

Mitigations

Nyalenda A Ward MCA Ahmed Boitone Ratib revealed that they had formed a monitoring squad, to deal with suspected hooligans during the demonstration.

“We have formed a squad that will be on the lookout during the demonstrations just to ensure the exercise does not deviate from its key noble objective for our common good,” Ratib said.

The MCA called for social control, conformity, obedience and good behaviour in line with the Azimio call for peaceful protests, or picketing, and warned against seizing the demos to engage in criminal acts.

The MCAs said they had been whipped by the ODM party to make sure that the demonstrations are devoid of destruction of public and private property at all costs.

Kenyans have issues with the high price of fuel, foodstuff, housing tax and transport costs which have unprecedentedly gone up due to the new tax suggestions enshrined in the Finance Act 2023.

Sociologist Caren Aketch, told the Press, that increasing crime spiralling out of control during the demonstrations sparked by the high cost of living was dysfunctional for the society.

“It will result in anomie because most of the demonstrators do not conform to the norms as expected of them. The social strain in life was driving them to deviant and criminal behaviours,” Aketch argued.

She advocated for peace, reconciliation and forgiveness as is being advanced by the elites, religious leaders and many people, looking forward to consensus building, which if blocked anomie would result.

Kisumu County Commissioner Hussein Alison called for calm as they investigate the claims, saying the protests scared investors and had turned Kisumu city into a ghost town during demonstrations.

“We will do all we can to maintain law and order without compromise, but safeguarding lives and private and public property,” he said.

Victims

But a spot-check in local health facilities in Kisumu revealed over 18 people admitted with gun shoot wounds, fractured limbs and deep-cut injuries and bruises sustained in the fights with the police.

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Referral Hospital Director Dr James Rae said some of the victims with gun wounds couldn’t be rehabilitated because the bullets damaged sensitive parts.

‘’Some, however, have been helped. They are recuperating. Three have since been confirmed dead from the sustained injuries. Kisumu County Government has waived all medical bills for injured patients,” Rae said.

Human rights groups regretted police’s brutal actions. They want them held accountable to the rule of law.

Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Kisumu branch officials led by Dorcas Oluoch also weighed in.

Oluoch claimed that 20 people had filed a case with various law firms. This includes families of three deceased persons and 18 others whose kin are nursing injuries in the hospital.

She called for an end to the extra-judicial killings.

Some lawyers agreed to offer pro bono services for the victims of police brutality.

Esther Oketch of Human Rights Watch termed the deaths as unfortunate even as Azimio leaders accused the police and state of ethnic profiling and alleged genocide.

“We want the police suspected of killing people to be investigated, arrested and charged,” Oluoch said.

Azimio leaders called for further protests on Wednesday, July 26.