PHOTOS: Police engage Kibra protestors in running battles

Daring Azimio la Umoja protesters in Kibra spent Monday morning engaging the police in running battles following a call to mass action by Opposition leader Raila Odinga.

The demonstrators who tried to outsmart security agents retreated into the slums when they were confronted by the police.

The security officers comprising of anti-riot police and the General Service Unit arrived in two lorries and lobbed teargas canisters to repulse the demonstrators who lit bonfires near the entry to the estate at Kibera DC area.

Two police officers and a journalist were injured in the fracas.

Businesses were closed and residents locked themselves in their houses to avoid the chaos.

Transport in and out of the estates was paralysed.

Commuters along the area complained of criminals taking advantage of the situation to rob them of their goods.

Martin Kariuki, a boda boda operator was robbed of his motorbike, and the thugs made away with his passenger's mobile phone and money.

"I was taking my customer from Kileleshwa and decided to take this route as a shortcut to Lang'ata. We were accosted by goons who robbed the motorbike and our personal effects," Kariuki said.

Raila Odinga, the leader of Azimio la Umoja One-Kenya, said the protests will culminate in a march to State House, where they will present their demands to President William Ruto.

Odinga wants the government to address, among other things, the high cost of living and to end discrimination in government appointments.

He dismissed police claims that the protests were illegal. He added that the protests would end only if the government listened to them.

Earlier, Nairobi Police Commander Adamson issued a warning to anyone participating in the protests, saying that the protests are illegal and police were under firm instructions to deal with cases of lawlessness.

-Photos by Denish Ochieng