After a dramatic day of protests as Kenyans attempted to block all roads leading to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), violence and bloodshed erupted along Kamiti Road as residents faced brutal police attacks.
Protesters had set bonfires at key junctions such as the Kahawa West roundabout, under the Northern Bypass flyover, around Small Villa in Githurai 44, and in Zimmerman Estate. These bonfires, combined with hundreds of youths staging demonstrations, crippled movement along Kamiti Road.
Motorists along the Northern Bypass had to navigate bushy routes to reconnect at Jacaranda estate, while areas like Small Villa and Uncle Sam in Githurai 44 became impassable. Residents closed businesses as running battles with police ensued.
By 6 pm, the full force of the police was unleashed in Githurai 44. Videos showed police patrolling in large numbers, using live ammunition, beating, and arresting protesters indiscriminately. Tear gas was lobbed into homes and kiosks, forcing businesses to shut down and residents to hide.
Eyewitness accounts revealed police shooting indiscriminately and hauling young men into lorries, after having them kneel . School buses were caught in the melee, prompting schools to urgently call parents to collect their children.
The violence shifted to Zimmerman, where police used tear gas and live rounds to flush residents out of their homes. Videos circulating online showed the extent of police brutality, including a tear gas canister creating a fireball in an apartment and crowds fleeing haphazard gunfire.
One of the most gut-wrenching videos showed uniformed officers running towards an unarmed resident who pleaded for help. As the police drew closer, one officer opened fire, silencing the man instantly. The video, shared on social media, captured his last words: “Nifungulie, nifungulie mlango nisiuliwe…”
On X one person sharing the video wrote, “those videos from Zimmerman have me so enraged and sad at the same time. I don’t even have words. I feel like I’m losing my mind.”
Another person on X added “Guys were protesting mostly in Town and Mombasa Road….why go kill people at night in Zimmerman??”
