Day school learners who reported to their respective schools on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, were caught up in the protest melee in Kitengela town. The town witnessed intense running battles between police officers and hundreds of anti-Ruto protesters. Police officers lobbed tear gas at crowds of protesters, who retaliated by pelting them with stones.
The Nairobi-Namanga road was barricaded with stones and garbage, paralyzing transport and leading to widespread property destruction and looting of shops. Panic-stricken parents navigated through clouds of tear gas with their uniformed children, as it became evident that school buses could not operate on the Nairobi-Namanga road.
“I was in the house when I had a lot of shooting in the air. My son was in school and I could not wait. I ran out of patience because the protest’s timelines is unpredictable.
“I am delighted that both police and protesters are paving the way for uniformed learners. It is a chaotic scene that exposes our children negatively. I am so devastated as a parent. My grade three son is asking endless questions and further disheartening that he is also excited and chanting the protesters’ songs,” Abigael Nekesa, a resident of Kitengela, said.
