- The demos were in protest of excessive use of force by police, that has resulted into over 50 deaths
- The protestors, including mothers whose children have been felled by police bullets, carried white coffins and crosses stained in scarlet red
Image: MATHEWS NDANYI
Protestors sustained demos in Nairobi on Thursday as chants of “stop killing us” rent the air.
The demos were in protest of excessive use of force by police, which has resulted in over 50 deaths.
The protestors, including mothers whose children have been felled by police bullets, carried white coffins and crosses stained in scarlet red paint.
Officers were at hand to disperse the crowds, whose number and intensity of action have reduced compared to the demos in the past four weeks.
The running battle culminated in multiple arrests, including those of activists Boniface Mwangi, Shad Kiprono and Hussein Khalid of Vocal Africa.
Kiprono, who stood out for his prominent role in the online mobilisation of protestors against the Finance bill, was among the first to be picked up.
Before his phone went off, the activist had posted on X that some people were trailing him.
He later posted: “I have been arrested by hooded guys.”
The activist's dramatic plucking from the street at the onset of the protests was captured on video.
“Kiprono’s last location was Central Police Station. They have switched off his phone and MOVED him to an unknown location,” a social media user who monitored the action posted online.
“He was taken in a Subaru Forester KCW 615E. Please help us find our friend.”
Other protestors chanted slogans rebuffing President William Ruto.
“We are marching today to honour our heroes who have been heartlessly killed by police for standing up to our rights. We are not criminals,” a protestor shouted.
She was promptly manhandled by police and bundled into a waiting lorry.
“You are arresting me yet you killed my son. Why?” another woman screamed as officers tossed her into a waiting pick-up truck.
In the melee, some daring protestors who had been arrested fled, escaping custody as police struggled to contain the pockets of demonstrators.
The protest was organised by Mwangi, who published the letter of notification he had given to police on Wednesday.
The letter notified authorities of the street action, the reason for the march and the routes they were to use.
He indicated that they would carry flowers and present petitions at Vigilance house.
The march would culminate with laying the flowers in front of Parliament building “to honour our heroes”.
“See you on Kimathi Street at 11am. Let’s escort the families of our heroes to the crime scene to lay flowers,” Mwangi had tweeted.
The demos were largely concentrated in Nairobi’s CBD, while places like Thika road, Rongai and Kitengela, which have experienced flare-ups during the protests, were largely peaceful.
Nakuru, Kisumu, Karatina, Mombasa, Embu, Kajiado and Kakamega, that saw protests take place on Tuesday, were cautiously peaceful, with businesses remaining closed.
Amid the street action, the focus is now turning to the vetting of the new Cabinet nominees.
The activists urged Gen Zs to be vigilant and send their views on the appointments to Parliament.
“Submit memoranda contesting the suitability of the 10 nominees to the cabinet to [email protected] and [email protected] on or before Wednesday July 31, 2024 at 5pm,” Mwangi tweeted.