Election2017: More deaths in Nairobi slums as police stop riot in Kawangware

Police control demonstrators in Kawangware, Nairobi, who were protesting the presidential interim tally that had President Uhuru Kenyatta leading on Thursday. PHOTO; Gerald Anderson (Standard)

A man was on Thursday morning shot and injured in the leg as fresh protests erupted in Kawangware. Johnstone Amango said he was crossing the road where residents were protesting against the presidential election results being streamed on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) portal when he was shot.

"The bullet hit me in the right leg, just below the knee, and came out through the other side," said Mr Amango who was receiving medical treatment in a nearby clinic.

The residents complained that General Service Unit (GSU) officers had "ïnvaded"  the area using a water cannon and tear gas.

"They have been making rounds here since Wednesday. But today, when they noticed that people were congregating in groups, they sprayed the air with water cannons," said Stella Moraa, a resident.

Ms Moraa, who was carrying a teary, red-eyed, two-year-old child, said the effects of the skin-irritating water was being felt inside the house.

"How can they spray the water inside our (residential) plots? I have had to get the child outside for some clean air but it is no better out here," she said.

Police said the shooting happened when residents attacked a GSU vehicle that was stuck in a ditch.

"The GSU personnel were defending themselves after the protesters  pelted the vehicle with stones. One person was injured but no injuries were reported on the side of police," said a policeman who was at the scene.

More police officers were dispatched amid concerns that the protesters would rob the officers in the stuck vehicle.

In Area 56, a group of rioters clashed with police for few minutes as they demanded "justice" from the IEBC.

Police reports show there were incidents of unrest in parts of Mathare, Huruma, Kibera, Baba Dogo, Kawangware, Ruaraka and along Naivasha Road as youths engaged police in running battles on Wednesday night.

In Ruaraka, youths besieged a local Administration Police camp demanding an explanation on the circumstances under which two protesters were killed.

The group dispersed when police arrived and cordoned off the camp. They were protesting the earlier killing of two youths along Juja Road by police.

Police said the two were attacking and robbing residents in the name of protesting the poll results.