Emurua Dikirr MP Ng'eno teargassed as police break up BBI meeting

An MP and several MCAs were on Wednesday teargassed as the police broke up a meeting they had organised in Narok South, reportedly to educate residents on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng'eno (pictured), as well as ward reps and residents who had gathered at Mulot shopping centre were forced to flee after the officers arrived.

The legislators had reportedly planned to take residents' views on BBI during the meeting.

Mr Ng'eno engaged the security officers, led by sub-county police commander Abdulahi Jire, in a heated argument as those who had gathered for the meeting scampered to safety.

This came just a day after the MP was arrested after he allegedly organised a similar meeting in Kimogoro trading centre in Narok County. He was held at Ololunga Police Station for a few hours before being released on a police bond.

He was accused of holding a meeting without a police permit.

Ng'eno argued that he had a right to meet his constituents to discuss the issues affecting them, and accused the police of being overzealous by dispersing those who had attended the meeting.

"We have the right to assembly. We expected the police to provide us with security and not to break up our meeting," he said.

illegal meeting 

Mr Jire, however, maintained that the meeting was illegal and would not allow it to go on as he ordered everybody to clear from the venue.

But the residents later reassembled and demanded that Ng’eno addresses them.

The MP's attempt to proceed with the meeting failed after the police lobbed teargas cannisters to disperse them. Ng'eno said he was planning a major rally in his constituency and would not allow anyone to stop him.

"The police should allow us to exercise our democratic right to assemble and discuss matters affecting us," he said.

Traffic along Mulot-Bomet highway was temporarily disrupted as residents protested the police action.

Meanwhile, some MCAs from Bomet now want the government to ban the ongoing BBI rallies. Embomos MCA Robert Serbai said they would polarise the country.

"Instead of the rallies, individuals and groups wishing to make proposals on the initiative should appear before the BBI committee," he said.

Mr Serbai said the rallies had been hijacked by politicians over selfish interests.