Amina Kibirige, Patrick Mayoyo, Jonathan Manyindo and Pascal Mwandambo
18 January 2008
Nairobi — Business in Mwatate and Voi towns was Thursday paralysed the whole afternoon as police clashed with several hundred demonstrators who had responded to the ODM call for mass action.
The Orange Democratic Movement had called for three days of mass action countrywide to protest at what they claim to be the rigging of the December 27 elections in favour of President Kibaki. The protests began on Wednesday.
In Voi, police officers led by deputy OCPD John Leshimpiro, confronted area Member of Parliament Dan Mwazo who was leading about 50 people to Moi Stadium for the rally.
As Mr Mwazo argued with Mr Leshampiro, some businesspeople closed their premises and joined the march, causing the crowd to grow to about 300.
Mr Leshimpiro on realising things were getting out of hand, ordered his officers to disperse the crowd with tear gas.
Vented their anger
In Mwatate, police fired eleven times in the air and hurled five tear gas canisters at demonstrators who were heading to Kamukunji grounds.
The group of about 200, and whose number was growing by the minute, was led by Mwatate MP Calist Mwatela.
The angry youths rushed back to the town and vented their anger on a miraa (khat) stall, razing it to the ground.
They were dispersed before they could torch more stalls as police reinforcements were called in from Wundanyi.
Speaking ahead of the rally, Mr Mwatela said area DC Kang'ethe Thuku tried to persuade him to call off the march.
"I told the DC that I do not take instructions from him and that as Kenyans we have a right to assemble and discuss issues affecting us," he said.
Mr Mwatela said he had followed the law and informed the police of the rally. By the time of going to press, youths had blocked roads in the town and were burning old tyres.
In Mombasa, most schools remained closed while several others recorded poor pupil turnout due to fears of clashes between police and protesters.
Primary schools including Star of the Sea, Ganjoni, and Mvita were open but only a few pupils showed up.
"The school is open, the teachers are around but most pupils did not come," said Evans Mwachia, the headmaster of Mvita primary, adding that normal learning could not continue.
Other schools are reported to have advised parents to keep children at home until next week when the mass action is expected to have come to and end.
Remained peaceful
Mombasa Town and its environs remained peaceful most of Thursday morning with no demonstrations reported.
There was heavy police presence particularly in Bangladesh where a group of people had threatened to march to the town centre. But they were confined to the slum and gave up their mission.
Public service vehicles operated as usual while most businesses in the town and the suburbs remained open.
It had been feared that confrontations that marked the start of the three-day demonstrations on Wednesday in different parts of Mombasa were going to continue.
The secretary-general of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya Sheikh Mohammed Dor, had said Mombasa residents would hold peaceful demonstrations every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to press for justice over the allegedly flawed presidential elections.
Separately, a women's group in Buxton estate in Mombasa Thursday prepared a sumptuous pilau lunch for local youths to thank them for not participating in the post-election violence.
Buxton Beautiful Women group feted more than 100 youths to encourage them to shun violence and be role models.
Edna Mbura, the group's organising secretary, said they appreciated the stand taken by the youth and wanted to encourage them to be peaceful and to refuse to be used by politicians to cause chaos.
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