In a dramatic turn of events, police arrested Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah and at least 10 other protesters in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) on Monday, December 30.
Omtatah was detained along with a group of demonstrators who had chained themselves together at Aga Khan Walk in a peaceful protest against abductions in the country.
Despite the arrest, Omtatah was heard shouting, “Aluta continue, Victory is Certain,” as he was taken into custody.
The protestors, including Omtatah, had gathered to voice their opposition to the ongoing abductions, chanting slogans like “Tunataka Comrades, our people united shall never be defeated.”
The peaceful protest saw several citizens, including a woman who handed flowers to the police officers, pleading for an end to the violence.
In a heart-wrenching moment, she kneeled before the officers, urging them to cease the brutality and end the abductions.
“I beg please receive this in the name of Jesus. We want peace. Please, I beg, I am on my knees begging you to end this brutality,” she said, appealing to the officers as “our children, uncles, and fathers” who should not partake in the abductions.
The #EndAbductionsKE march officially commenced in Nairobi’s CBD, where protesters carried placards adorned with silhouettes created by the missing visual artist Kibet Bull, symbolizing the vanished youth.
The crowd chanted in unison for an end to enforced disappearances.
The police set up roadblocks and frisked Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) entering the city, in an effort to prevent protestors from coming into the CBD.
By midday, public service vehicles were barred from accessing Kenyatta Avenue as the police took control of key roads leading into the city center.
Chants of “Kasongo, Wako Wapi?” filled the air as demonstrators called on President William Ruto to address the rising number of enforced disappearances.
The protests spread to various parts of Nairobi, with clashes between protesters and police on Aga Khan Walk, Moi Avenue, and Kenyatta Avenue, where officers used tear gas to disperse the crowds.
Businesses in the area were closed in response to the unrest.
Elsewhere, protests continued in Embu, where police clashed with demonstrators, using tear gas to scatter the crowds.
In Kitengela, police set up a roadblock on Namanga Road, stopping vehicles for inspection, while a helicopter hovered above the scene.
Meanwhile, Kenyans in Australia joined the protest movement, holding their own demonstrations in solidarity and calling on President Ruto to take immediate action to resolve the ongoing security concerns in Kenya.
Online videos showed protestors carrying placards with the names of the youth reported missing in December, chanting anti-government slogans and sending messages of encouragement to their fellow citizens back home.
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