University of Nairobi students destroyed property, looted business premises and robbed motorists and pedestrians in a protest that was originally meant to be peaceful.
They harassed city residents as they caused mayhem soon after marching through several streets in Nairobi to protest at last week’s killings of two human rights activists and their colleague.
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| Protestors help themselves at BookFirst restaurant, in Nakumatt Lifestyle, Nairobi. |
The students attacked and robbed motorists, raided restaurants and robbed pedestrians soon after the march as police watched from their lorries parked at the Central Police Station.
The worst affected businesses were Kengeles restaurant on Koinange Street and BookFirst restaurant within Nakumatt Lifestyle where they stole food items before escaping.
At Kengeles, the rioters pulled out seats and tables and barricaded on Koinange Street before they sat to drink the stolen alcohol for almost two hours, to the amazement of the public.
Hurriedly Shut
Several businesses were hurriedly shut, as the marauding students became chaotic. Hapless business owners blamed police for failing to contain the situation.
In Nairobi, the students marched through various streets and made stopovers at police headquarters, Vigilance House, Harambee House, Parliament, KICC, City Hall, I&M Building, Laico Regency and Central Police Station where they made demands.
Among the demands were the sacking of Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua, Commissioner of Police Maj-Gen Hussein Ali, Attorney General Amos Wako and Town Clerk John Gakuo.
More than 200 riot police officers who were on standby said they had been instructed by their seniors not to intervene.
Enraged wananchi at one point attempted to repulse the students by pelting them with stones.
For almost three hours, the students blocked Koinange Street, University Way and a section of Uhuru Highway while harassing motorists.
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| Nairobi University students demonstrate atop furniture belonging to Kengeles restaurant on Kionange Street, Nairobi. |
On Tuesday evening, the Government gave in to pressure and allowed the protest though police had earlier banned it claiming it could turn chaotic.
Demo Won’t Be Banned
Prime Minister Raila Odinga had earlier assured students and civil rights activists, who had called on him at his office, that the demo would not be banned.
And when the demonstrators took to the streets yesterday, they hijacked five lorries including an oil tanker and used them to block the Uhuru Highway/University Way roundabout before confiscating their ignition keys.
The road was impassable for hours and the drivers only managed to get back their keys after the students had extorted some money from them.
The riot police only intervened at 5pm, long after the city had experienced heavy traffic snarl-ups, property destroyed and some pedestrians injured.
The officers lobbed several teargas canisters at the students but they replied the gesture with a hail of stones.
Traffic flow was, however, restored within minutes of the intervention by police.
The students had been allowed to hold a peaceful demonstration in the city to protest the killing of human rights activists Kamau King’ara and Paul Oulu and their colleague Godwin Ogato.
According to an earlier agreement, the protests were supposed to start at 9 am and end at midday.
Hundreds of the students had earlier on poured onto the streets of Nairobi disrupting the flow of traffic as they protested the shooting incidents.
King’ara and Oulu were shot by as yet unidentified assailants while Ogato was shot dead by police in a confrontation over the body of King’ara within the university hostels last Thursday.
Earlier in the day, the students marched peacefully carrying placards and most of them donning black T-shirts.
They demanded the arrest of the ‘real’ gunmen who killed the Oscar Foundation officials. They also asked that proper action be taken against the officer who shot dead their colleague.
Police on horseback escorted the students throughout the protest march. Other student leaders restrained their colleagues who tried to harass motorists.
Egerton University students also protested along the streets of Nakuru town.
Business in Nakuru town came to a standstill, as the more than 1,000 Egerton University students took to the streets in a peaceful demonstration.
Paralysed Transport
The students, mainly drawn from the University’s Nakuru Town Campus, marched along the town’s streets paralysing traffic as they chanted slogans against Internal Security Minister George Saitoti and Police Commissioner Hussein Ali.
"We are demanding for their immediate resignations and the setting up of an independent probe over the killing," said Mr Amon Matuga the chairman of the University town’s campus.
The officers in heavy riot gear steered clear of the demonstration as the students peacefully matched along the main streets. Standard
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