No teargas! Kisumu holds peaceful protests, lights candles in honour of fallen youths

Tuesday morning protests in Kisumu were one of a kind in the region with no ugly exchange between police and protesters.

The protesters lit candles at the police roadblock a few metres from the Stage Lodge in honour of the youths killed in protests across the country.

The protesters who were in large numbers kneeled behind the roadblock while chanting anti-government slogans as the police watched them unmoved.

They remembered their counterparts while calling for justice to be served.

Earlier before reaching the roadblock, the protesters converged at Kondele grounds where they left matching towards town.

Carrying placards displaying different messages, they chanted Ruto Must Go slogans saying they had lost all faith in the administration as they matched along the Jomo Kenyatta highway and Oginga Odinga Streets.

Some of the youths who spoke to the media noted that the process will remain peaceful.

Boniface Akach said they have lost faith in the current government.

"We have also lost faith in the Parliament, the country is in a crisis, and the best thing the President can do for us is to resign and let the law take its course," Akach said.

Another youth alleged that it was unfortunate that the president was not remorseful following the deaths witnessed across the country due to the protests.

"From what we saw in the interviews, and how the President was speaking, we are more than certain that he does not care at all," said Mercy Jackline.

They said that they are going to guard against perpetrators with ill motives pretending to be protesters.

"We are saying that let's keep off from other people's business, this thing is for us all and we also have some of the same young business persons with us on the streets," Onyango Otieno from Dunga said.

A section of the young people was seen along the streets opposite the main bus terminus playing football even as police watched in their Land Cruiser that was packed next to them.

The young people were busy passing the handmade ball for several minutes before they proceeded with their protests.

The protest remained peaceful as others joked that they missed being teargas by the police.

They later matched back to town before later dispersing.