How anti-riot police foiled protesters’ attempt to break into Quickmart supermarket in Kangemi
By Hilary KimuyuPolice in Kangemi, Nairobi swiftly moved in on Tuesday to protect the Quickmart supermarket along Waiyaki Way, which had been targeted by protesters.
The stone-throwing protesters pushed the police back from the Kangemi flyover towards the Communications Authority headquarters where the supermarket is located.
The protest, which began at 10.30am, disrupted the flow of traffic from Nairobi to Western Kenya as they barricaded the busy highway at Kangemi Market, with police fighting a losing battle to reopen it.
Anti-riot police led by Nairobi police commander Adamson Bungei arrived just in time to de-escalate the situation after the protesters had earlier overpowered police before breaking into the supermarket.
Chants of ‘we want to go shopping’ rang out as the crowd moved towards the supermarket.
According to witnesses, the ordeal began in the early hours of the morning after a dozen protesters began barricading the road.
“My neighbour woke me up and told me that people were barricading the road. When I went out I saw them and locked my children in the house and within a few minutes I heard loud bangs outside and I think that is when the police arrived,” said the witness, who identified herself only as Catherine.
For most of the day, the protesters left briefly to ‘replenish’ their arsenal of rocks, promising to return with reinforcements.
At around 2pm the group returned, now larger, and managed to overwhelm the police.
No arrests were made during the demonstration, and police at the scene claimed that the demonstrators were not real protesters but thugs.
Several injuries were reported, with most saying they had been assaulted and robbed of everything.
At least two motorcyclists lost their bikes to the thugs.