Chaos erupted in Kikuyu town on Wednesday as protesters set a section of the Kikuyu Police Station and parts of the local law courts ablaze during fierce clashes with police.
Several individuals were arrested as authorities scrambled to regain control amid the spiraling unrest.
The incident is part of ongoing nationwide demonstrations marking the first anniversary of the deadly June 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests, which claimed the lives of dozens of young Kenyans.
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This year’s commemorations have quickly evolved into fresh waves of resistance against the government, with Kikuyu town becoming one of the flashpoints.
Eyewitness footage seen by media captured dramatic scenes as flames engulfed parts of the police station, with officers and civilian staff desperately trying to extinguish the fire using buckets of water and sand.
A TukTuk and a grader parked at the station were also torched, adding to the destruction.
Elsewhere in the town, protestors stormed the Kikuyu Law Courts, ransacking courtrooms and scattering legal documents across the floors. Parts of the court building and adjacent subcounty administrative offices were set on fire as the confrontation intensified.
In the ensuing crackdown, police managed to arrest several protesters — some of whom were masked — and took them into custody.
By afternoon, tension remained high in Kikuyu and other protest-hit areas as demonstrators lit tyres on major roads, halting traffic and forcing businesses to shut down.
The Nairobi Central Business District was similarly brought to a standstill, with heavy deployment of police forces engaging protesters in running battles marked by tear gas volleys, water cannons, and stone-throwing.
From Kisumu to Eldoret and Mombasa to Nairobi, cities across the country have witnessed large turnouts in what organizers are calling a “National Day of Remembrance and Resistance.”
With property destroyed, dozens arrested, and the capital gridlocked, pressure is mounting on authorities to address public grievances and prevent a repeat of the tragic events that scarred the nation one year ago.