A group of frustrated young men has emerged, demanding payment after alleging they were hired by politicians to participate in recent #OccupyEverywhere protests.
In a video that appears to have been recorded at night, the men openly express their grievances, accusing unnamed leaders of betraying them despite using their services during the protests.
They claim they were mobilized early in the morning, instructed to gather at City Hall, and then deployed across the city to disrupt the demonstrations. Armed with a ‘rungu’, one of the men vocally expresses dissatisfaction, directly addressing their employers and insisting on being paid.
“Nilipigiwa simu asubui, twende hapo City Hall. Tulikuwa watu 50, na mavijana wenzangu. Wakatupatia hizi rungu. Mnatupatia kazi mpaka wengine wanapigwa tear gas…” he says, brandishing his ‘rungu’.
“Saa hii tunapiga na hizo simu zenyu hazishikwi. Na tushaaokolea jo. Tumeshaawalindia mali zao. Tunaenda mpaka huko Riverside. Mlipiga simu twende City Hall? Pesa yetu mtatupatia!”
The men go on with their lamentations, claiming that they had only been paid a fraction of the entire sum – a downpayment – and were now asking for the entire payment to be settled, or else.
“Yenye mlitupatia asubui ni downpayment. Hio ingine tunataka. Lazima mtatumalizia. Hatutaki hio ujinga!” they say.
The protests on Tuesday were marked by widespread looting, vandalism, hooliganism, and theft, prompting many leaders and protesters to abandon the demonstrations as they were infiltrated by lawless individuals.
Unlike the peaceful and organized protests of the past two weeks, recent demonstrations have seen the emergence of shadowy figures acting on behalf of others—throwing stones, setting fires to buildings, attacking police officers, robbing bystanders, and causing general chaos in their areas.
In response to the chaos, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) stated, “Security forces nationwide identified and apprehended suspects involved in criminal activities under the guise of protesting.”
“The DCI has further deployed scrupulous investigators across the affected regions to pursue suspects captured on CCTV cameras and mobile phone recordings violently robbing, stealing and destroying properties and businesses of innocent citizens,” the statement added.
According to the Daily Nation, six politicians, a businessman and two NGOs are on the radar of State intelligence and security agencies following suspicion of their involvement in fueling ongoing anti-government protests.
