Despite having faced the brutal force of police on Wednesday, during heated protests over the poor state of roads, Kasarani residents once again took to the streets on Thursday, in a bid to capture the elusive attention of their leaders.
Violent altercations between rioters and law enforcers on the third day of the demonstrations left at least one person dead, with fears of several more unreported casualties dominating social media conversations.
The unrelenting residents and matatu operators implored the government to send machinery to fix the potholes ridden road, instead of deploying deadly weapons against them for simply demanding their rights.
#Kasarani enters 4th day of peaceful demos today,we pray govt will send tractors to repair the road and not water tanker and combat police to assault residents as it was witnessed yesterday. Kenya Mainstream media has decided to give blackout to what is happening in kasarani!
— Israel Wisdom (@IsraelWisdom6) January 16, 2020
According to a bodaboda rider who witnessed Wednesday’s clash, a child was among those who were shot by live bullets fired haphazardly at protesters by police.
#Kasarani-Mwiki Demos https://t.co/7j5Tjs2yfe
— K24 TV (@K24Tv) January 16, 2020
The protestors now want their leaders, including area MP Mercy Gakuya, who has remained mum since the advent of the demos, to visit the area physically instead of sending police to harm innocent citizens.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko Thursday morning assured the Kasarani electorate that the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) had already assigned a contractor to remedy the transport infrastructure situation by building the road afresh, creating pedestrian walkways and crossings, and fixing the drainage system along the link road.
As the government was criticized over its silence on the dire Kasarani situation, questions also emerged over the objectivity of mainstream media, who seem to have intentionally given the protestors a coverage blackout.
Notable individuals who have expressed their disappointment at the government over the fatal twist of events at the constituency include government digital strategist Dennis Itumbi and Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris.
The brave youth of #Kenya battling Dictator Uhuru Kenyatta's militarized policemen on the streets of #Kasarani, #Nairobi as the #KenyaUprising takes shape pic.twitter.com/zXeeN8Q1NH
— Dictator Watch (@Citizen_Alert1) January 16, 2020