Two men rushed to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital with serious wounds

Elvis Omondi at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu after being clobbered during NASA demos on October 24 2017. (Collins Oduor, Standard)

At least three people were injured by the police in Kisumu on Tuesday during demonstrations against the electoral commission.

Two men were rushed to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital with serious wounds, which they said were inflicted by the police.

A mother of two was also admitted at the hospital with breathing problems after choking on tear gas when a canister was hurled into her Nyawita house.

Writhing in pain and unable to move his limbs, 33-year-old John Nyaboro, a boda boda operator, said a group of police officers descended on him near Avenue Hospital and beat him senseless.

“They floored and hit me with batons and stepped on my chest and head with their boots,” he said, complaining of severe chest pains.

His left arm was swollen and he could not move his left leg.

 Peaceful protests

He said he was resuming work, assuming the relatively peaceful demonstration had ended, when he was attacked.

Beside him, 24-year-old Elvis Omondi also squirmed in pain. A large bandage tied around his right leg and visibly swollen left arm and open wounds, told of what he went through at the hands of the law enforcers.

He said the officers hauled him onto their Land Cruiser at Nyawita, and beat him as they drove around before throwing him off at the Kondele roundabout where he was rescued by Red Cross personnel.  

Next to them was a Ms Florence, who was rushed to the facility by her neighbour Dorothy Odila, who found her unconscious after a canister exploded inside her two-roomed house.

Luckily, her five-year-old daughter had taken refuge at Ms Odila’s house when police started pushing protestors deep into the estates during the 4pm clampdown.

The protest had been relatively peaceful and some of the political leaders had already termed it a success, having been violence-free, with no arrests by 2pm.

Earlier, four governors from Nyanza told the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to cancel tomorrow’s elections in the region to avoid chaos.

They also asked IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati to resign.

Governors Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu), Cyprian Awiti (Homa Bay), Cornell Rasanga (Siaya) and Okoth Obado (Migori) said it was wrong for IEBC to insist on proceeding with the poll when a section of Kenyans and NASA leadership were against it.

The governors led thousands of NASA supporters in demonstrations to denounce tomorrow’s elections.

Yesterday’s protests in Kisumu started on a low key with a few youth attempting to provoke the police into action at Kondele Police Station.

In Siaya, a section of MCAs yesterday led demonstrations in town appealing to the residents to keep off the polling stations.

Siaya Township MCA James Otare, South East Alego MCA Joseph Mboha and Vincent Odawa of North Alego insisted that nobody will participate in tomorrow’s elections.

Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi and several legislators were yesterday briefly detained at the coast even as police raided the home of former Senator Boni Khalwale in Kakamega.

 

Orders from above

Kingi, Senator Stewart Madzayo, six MPs and a section of MCAs were held at the Ngerenya Administration Police post for about four hours by police officers who said they were acting on orders from above.

The governor and his team were from a function in Majajani,  Mnarani ward, for relief food distribution and were in Ngerenya to conduct the same.

Those held were Owen Baya (Kilifi North), Paul Katana(Kaloleni), Teddy Mwambire (Ganze), William Kamoti (Rabai), William Kingi(Magarini), Ken Chonga (Kilifi South) and some MCAs.

In Kakamega, police officers yesterday raided Khalwale’s home.

According to Dr Khalwale’s legal representative Innocent Ondiek, he received information from the family that his client’s home had been raided by the officers.

“They had a court order, which lacked some features but we went to court and confirmed the order was issued at the Kakamega Law Courts,” said Mr Ondiek.

And NASA supporters in Kitale were forced to call off a peaceful demonstration due to heavy rains that pounded the region for the better part of yesterday.

Jubilee Party leaders in the area warned area residents against joining the anti-IEBC demonstrations and instead turn up in large numbers and vote for President Uhuru Kenyatta in tomorrow’s poll.

Hundreds of NASA supporters had gathered at Kenyatta Stadium to match in the streets of Kitale when heavy rains started to pour, forcing them to scatter.