Youth groups clash at bus park, set car ablaze

By Peter Atsiaya

Several people were seriously injured as rival youth groups clashed at Kisumu main Bus Park.

One vehicle was burnt and meat looted from butcheries belonging to a leader of a rival group during the chaos that brought business at the busy bus terminus to a standstill on Sunday.

A group of youth allied to Kisumu America Squad pursued and attacked members of the Kisumu Chinese Group in a revenge attack that spilt to the town’s Central Business Division (CBD).

The chaos was triggered by an attack on one of the leaders of America group, Nyamor Owino, at Tuskys Supermarket in the town on Saturday evening.

Owino was beaten by youths of the rival group outside the supermarket. He was rushed to Nightingale Hospital where he is being treated.

But members of Owino’s group who were angered by police for not arresting his attackers took the law into their hands and started hunting down those behind the incident.

They cornered one of the leaders of the Chinese group, Boy Akoth, and beat him up with clubs before police could save him.

The youth then vented their anger on Akoth’s Land Rover, which they set ablaze at the main bus park.

They went ahead to raid a chain of his butcheries at the park and destroyed property before looting all the meat and fled.

The incident caused panic and fear at the busy bus station as passengers fled for their safety and other traders hurriedly closed their premises for fear of looting.

It took the intervention of Kisumu East District Commissioner Willy Cheboi and area OCPD Musa Kongoli to cool the youth down and avert more chaos.