Several businesses in Kitengela have been shut down following protests in the town’s central business district over the fatal shooting of a local resident during a political rally last Sunday.
Angry youth lit bonfires using vehicle tyres along the highway, paralysing movement in and out of Kitengela and prompting police intervention.
Officers fired teargas to disperse the demonstrators, who engaged them in running battles while demanding justice for 28-year-old Vincent Ayomo.
Ayomo was reportedly struck by a stray bullet as he returned home from work during a rally organised by a splinter faction of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) under the banner “Linda Mwananchi.” The faction is led by Edwin Sifuna and Babu Owino.
Chaos erupted at the gathering after police fired live bullets and teargas to disperse crowds, citing claims that the event had not been authorised by local authorities.
Traders and residents say businesses have remained largely closed for nearly 10 days amid heightened tension and fears of further unrest.
“We are really in a bad situation because for nearly 10 days now, we have not been able to open our businesses, yet our children need to eat.
We also need our basic needs, which at the moment are worsened by the standoff we are witnessing,” one trader lamented.
In a related incident on Friday, a truck linked to the Linda Mwananchi faction was stoned at Kona Mbaya trading centre while heading to Kakamega County for a rally scheduled for Saturday, February 21.
Videos shared online showed the vehicle coming under attack as part of a convoy travelling to the event.
Sifuna maintained that the team, which also includes James Orengo, would proceed with the Kakamega rally and would not be intimidated.
Meanwhile, a postmortem conducted by government pathologists revealed that Ayomo died from a gunshot wound to the left eye.
The bullet reportedly entered through the eye, fractured his spinal cord, damaged his brain, and exited through the back of his head.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has launched a high-priority investigation into the incident.
IPOA Vice Chairperson Ann Mwangi confirmed that a rapid response team was deployed to probe the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting in Kajiado County.
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