Tension high in Kibra as angry resident protesting Raila Odinga’s failed assassination uproot railway line. Residents engaging police in running battles.
Angry Kibera youths on Monday evening tried to uproot a section of the railway line at Kibera in protests against police’s direct shooting at Cord leader Raila Odinga’s car during the anti-IEBC demos in Nairobi.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that local youths destroyed the railway line at around 9.30pm; the extent of destruction could not be immediately be ascertained.
The riots were a continuation of demos against corrupt and allegedly biased IEBC commissioners who have stayed put even as majority Kenyans have expressed doubts as to their competence to officiate 2017 general election.
Raila’s car windscreen was hit at by police by what many said to ge a live bullet as he joined thousands of his supporters for the third sit-in at Anniversary towers earlier on Monday.
Conflicting reports indicated that the railway line was uprooted while others indicated that police were called in to disperse the angry youths before they could succeed in delinking the railway.
The ardent Cord supporters engaged police in running battles following the stand off.
Police cordoned off the Kibera bypass as well as areas along the railway passing through the slum upgrades.
Shots were heard at Lindi and Kisumu Ndogo and was later reported that one person was shot and critically injured. There fears that a well known militia had dressed as police and Power was intentionally switched off to terrorize the residents by the government.
CORD wants IEBC commissioners to vacate office over claims they are biased and cannot preside over a fair election in 2017.
Additional Reporting by the Star
