KISUMU, Kenya, Jul 21 — The highly publicized ‘finals’ to mark the culmination of a three-day protest organized by the opposition subsided on Thursday as the police moved to restrict protesters from making their way to the city in Kisumu.
Azimio demonstrations failed to kick off in the lakeside city which has been the epicenter of protests alongside sections of the capital Nairobi as police confined would be demonstrators in the estates.
The move to preempt a showdown in the city came amid concerns on the safety of children, women and the elderly in estates.
For two days, police camping in Kondele, Jua Kali, Nyamasaria and Nyalenda have restricted residents from venturing to the city save for those leaving to work.
“This is now wrong, why senseless beatings of our people in the estates,” said Jeckton Amimo, a boda boda rider and a resident of Nyalenda slums.
Police roamed the estates hurling teargas canisters even into the houses.
“They’re chocking our children with teargas,” said Amimo.
He accused the police of maiming a middle-aged.
Burnt carpentry workshop
Young people, some as young as 17 were playing cat and mouse games with the police.
On Thursday evening, police lobbed a teargas canister into a homestead in Nyalenda burning a carpentry shop within the compound.
According to eye witnesses, police stormed the home claiming some rowdy youth had taken refuge there.
“The carpenter had stepped out, all his work and a motorcycle was burnt,” a witness recounted.
Neighbours managed to put out the fire before it could catch the main house.
At the Kisumu Central Business District, businesses opened up with few movements in the lakeside city a sharp contrast with abandoned streets on Wednesday.
