Tear gas, injuries as Police disperse Cord protesters – PHOTOS
Police lobbed tear gas and used water cannons to disperse Cord leaders and their supporters who had staged a sit-in outside the IEBC offices in Nairobi on Monday afternoon.
Three people were injured in the ensuing melee including a camera man who was hit on the leg with a stone, a police officer who was hit on the ribs by the protestors and a woman who was injured as she ran away.
Trouble started moments after Cord leader Raila Odinga finished addressing Cord supporters outside the IEBC headquarters located at the Anniversary Towers where he called on the commissioners to quit.
14:31 Current situation university way pic.twitter.com/Jp5S5QDGrr via @ciruukiniti
— Ma3Route (@Ma3Route) May 9, 2016
Some supporters soon after tried to storm into the building, prompting police officers to unleash their power.
On Sunday, Interior CS Joseph Nkaissery had warned the Cord leaders that police were not out of teargas.
Earlier on, Mr Odinga said the Cord brigade would sustain the demos every Monday until the commissioners are sent home.
@PoliceKE lob teargas to disperse #CORD supporters marching to @IEBCKenya hq after being addressed by @RailaOdinga. pic.twitter.com/u7vund9p2t
— Robin Njogu (@robinnjogu) May 9, 2016
“We shall not tire to do this until IEBC goes home. We refuse stealing of votes in this country. We are here to tell Kenyans and the whole world that Cord is not a criminal outfit. We love peace and we Wil hold peaceful demonstrations,” he said.
He said Cord will not keep quiet “as one sharpens a dagger to harm us”.
“Isaac Hassan and his team must go home,” he said.
Mr Kalonzo Musyoka said the government should not clamp down on dissent, warning that “if Kenya does not enjoy democracy, no other country in Africa will”.
Police in Nairobi lob teargas at CORD supporters staging anti-IEBC demo opposition bigwigs earlier addressed them pic.twitter.com/hoP9omZbXm
— Lordrick Mayabi (@rickymeez) May 9, 2016
“Isaac Hassan and his counterparts are already planning how BVR kits will be programmed to steal elections. We have reports that children in some Jubilee stronghold are receiving ID cards,” he said.
“They have thrown teargas in Kisumu and elsewhere but we want to tell them we will be holding this demonstrators every Monday.”
Latest pictures from the Anti IEBC demo. Crowds gather but dispersed using teargas and water canons. #IEBCMustGo pic.twitter.com/hXDRMdSoXV
— Ahmed Mohamed ((ASMALi)) (@Asmali77) May 9, 2016
He also defended himself against accusations that he did not participate in the first demo saying “my security men prevented me from being photographed when teargas was thrown at us”.
At the same time, Mr Odinga repeated claims that controversial businessman Jacob Juma was brutally killed by police who should not pretend that they are carrying out any investigations.
“Juma knew about the NYS scandal, Eurobond and even if they have killed him we still have a lot of information about the scandals.”
