Youth in Kakamega town on Wednesday staged demonstrations in protest of the anti-government protests called by the opposition to picket against the high cost of living.
Led by UDA Party secretary-general Cleophas Malala, the group made its way through the Western Kenya town in the mid-morning hours holding placards.
They said they wanted peace to prevail, not violence.
UDA Party SG Cleophas Malala asks opposition leaders to give President Ruto time to implement the Kenya Kwanza manifesto #MaandamanoWednesdayToFriday pic.twitter.com/eUQkstdAi9
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) July 19, 2023
Around this time in Nairobi, a contingent of anti-riot police officers had been deployed, with roadblocks erected in different areas such as Ngong Road and Haile Selassie Avenue.
Citizen Digital journalists saw minimal activity in the capital’s central business district, with most shops remaining closed.
In Mombasa, however, there were scenes of burning tyres on roads and some streets and police started arresting people at the Express area of the CBD some minutes before 11 am.
One person arrested as anti-government protests rock Mombasa #MaandamanoWednesdayToFriday pic.twitter.com/tyRZREq4um
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) July 19, 2023
In Migori meanwhile, two middle-aged men were shot as police engaged protesters.
And in Kisumu, various roads were barricaded by youths and bonfires lit, while shops were closed and no PSV vehicles were in sight on the roads.
The Azimio coalition plans to hold the protests for three days straight starting Wednesday despite stern warnings from the government.
On Tuesday evening, the government withdrew former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta’s security at her Gatundu and Muthaiga homes, with officers from the General Service Unit and Administration Police told to leave and report to the nearest police station.
Likewise, more than 10 security officers attached to Azimio principles Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka were also withdrawn. Governors, Gladys Wanga, James Orengo and Anyang’ Nyong’o also had their security directed to report to Kisumu.
More than 50 MPs also had their security recalled and ordered to report to Parliament Police Station.
The government also ordered the closure of all-day primary and secondary schools in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu amid what Interior CS Prof. Kithure Kindiki and his Education counterpart Ezekiel Machogu said were credible intelligence reports of plans by a number of rogue elements to attack specific schools and ‘unleash terror and violence on the public’ during the demos.
