Monday, May 17, 2016, a section of the streets of Nairobi saw a bloody clash between the Kenya anti-riot police and demonstrators advocating for reforms to the electoral body, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). CAUTION: The Images are very Graphic
This would be the third of such demonstrations lead by the opposition party CORD, but the bloodiest so far. The anti-riot police fired tear gas into the crowd and chased after the demonstrators with some being caught on camera giving demonstrators inhumane beatings.
The following are picture posted by the Daily Mail on the Pre-Elections Violence (PEV) witnessed on the streets of Nairobi yesterday.
The government has legalised excessive use of force as it has legalised corruption?!#StopPoliceBrutality pic.twitter.com/kE4s5CRPs9
— Dragon spy (@mmobara) May 17, 2016
All because regime in power wants to protect @IEBCKenya so they can manipulate 2017 elections? #JusticeForNgatia pic.twitter.com/lqwnmrQ5jR
— Wanjikũ Revolution™ (@WanjikuRevolt) May 17, 2016
These are tweets being made by tweeps from both sides of the political divide.
Ben Ngatia Man Captured Being Kicked On The Head And Whose Photo Went Viral Dies! – https://t.co/L7vCcLQasB #StopPoliceBrutality
— Abukuse Mike (@abooh09) May 17, 2016
#StopPoliceBrutality,fotos taken during “Unwated demons” in french and Kenya respectively. which shows Humanity?? pic.twitter.com/DKXCLl8Tlw
— Joab Ogallo (@joerbgallo) May 17, 2016
#StopPoliceBrutality Will the head of this young man ever function well ? pic.twitter.com/yR75xDPwEt
— Enock Sumbi (@Esumbien) May 17, 2016
Is that blood? Human blood being shed? #StopPoliceBrutality pic.twitter.com/zbgks3Embi
— Abukuse Mike (@abooh09) May 17, 2016
And apparently some think this is ‘constitutional’! #StopPoliceBrutality #StopPoliceBarbarism pic.twitter.com/rq3CdfdDzA
— Dominic Cheruiyot (@Domie789) May 17, 2016
Little by little the country gets ripe for a revolution. Call it treason but this is how revolutions in start #StopPoliceBrutality
— Find Your Purpose (@solomonruhiu) May 17, 2016
The Kenyan taxpayer is the employer when will we realise we can fire all these People? #StopPoliceBrutality
— Cynthia Njiru (@CynthiaMbovi) May 17, 2016
We can be better than this https://t.co/de7tmH26R7 #StopPoliceBrutality
— #IAmKenyan (@i_am_kenyan) May 17, 2016
#StopPoliceBrutality ingekuwa museveni people would lack balls
— thee_O. G (@joe_theeOG) May 17, 2016
#StopPoliceBrutality No sane Kenya can support muggers,robbers and idlers out to disrupt peace.The Cord protesters should desist from chaos
— Keith Peters (@keyym) May 17, 2016
#StopPoliceBrutality police will be brutal if you provoke them. Otherwise sorry to the injured
— The 1 & Only Hozey (@HoseaWainaina) May 17, 2016
Police brutality is only effective when its not caught on tape #StopPoliceBrutality
— Abdirahman Hish (@Abdirahman_Hish) May 17, 2016
Retweeted Dennis Onsarigo (@Donsarigo):
It’s a fallacy when we imagine demonstrations are about Kibera and… https://t.co/AZV1uDxmme
— Mohammed Ali (@MohaJichoPevu) May 16, 2016
I’m told officers who were deployed to handle #CORDdemos we’re from TWO communities. Same script used in Kisumu, Kibera in 2007. Jinxed
— Bel Akinyi (@BelAkinyii) May 17, 2016
Officers shoot man in stand-off with Kibera residents https://t.co/7IT2Ab8jSm pic.twitter.com/ZcKHCPhajB
— Daily Nation (@dailynation) May 17, 2016
#Kibra community — youth, mothers, fathers — let us all be agents of peace. #Kibera is our only home; don’t let anyone destroy our home.
— Ken Okoth, MP Kibra (@okothkenneth) May 16, 2016
How does Isaack Hassan’s wife sleep besides him knowing well people are being killed in Kibera because of his husband?
— Reinhard Otieno (@rjakom) May 16, 2016
Kibera youth riot over alleged shooting of @RailaOdinga car, gunshots reported https://t.co/5N4FY5Ukkd pic.twitter.com/6NuT7RBDh6
— The Star, Kenya (@TheStarKenya) May 16, 2016
The tweets above goes to show how social media is playing a vital role in providing a platform where citizens can give their views on national matters. While the some of the tweets are unsettling, they do highlight a symptom to a severe disease affecting the political landscape of Kenya, which all political leaders ought to be ashamed.
As a country, Kenya has more than enough problems. The last thing the country needs is destructive energy pitting police versus civilians, civilians versus police, or worse civilians versus civilians. Like witnessed in the Post-Election Violence (PEV) that followed the 2007 Kenya Polls, where there were allegations of the police force being used by the incumbent to carry out extrajudicial killings in areas perceived to be the opposition’s strongholds.
Related:
#MuseveniDecides for Uganda Presidential polls: Social Media Blocked
Cheers to us for making sure Kenyans & Ugandans rights are infringed and applying police force #StopPoliceBrutality pic.twitter.com/NTcUBsV9QI
— Levi Sitati (@sitati) May 17, 2016
