Sunday Nation
Date: 22.05.2016
Page 34
Article size: 308 cm2
ColumnCM: 68.44
AVE: 147840.0
Danger looms large as opposing sides
in anti­IEBC protests harden positions
The iconic picture from
Monday's chaotic, tear
gas­filled and blood­soaked
demonstrations in the streets
of Nairobi remains that of three
policemen raining blow after thun­
derous blow and vicious kick after
another on a young man lying mo­
tionless on the tarmack.
The man had run onto the road
with a policeman in riot gear in
hot pursuit. He was tripped by a
different policeman; landed hard
and lay motionless on the road, a
stationary target for the unrelent­
ing truncheons and boots of the
police. But still that picture does
not come close to accounting for
businesses; and the hoodlums who
attacked protesters and beat them
bloody, comprised elements who
were, one, criminals taking advan­
tage of the protest to get a windfall
from a rainy day and, two, hirelings
of politicians.
The latter were out to give the
demonstration and its organisers
a bad name by branding them as
anti­business; thieving and robbing
elements pretending to march for
a popular cause; and as political
opposition kingpins Raila Odinga,
Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses
Wetang'ula who believe they have
genuine performance­related
grievances against, and ejection
demands on, IEBC.
But their weekly picketing has
been portrayed by Jubilee as a drive
to delegitimise the government by
attacking the polls body that offici­
ated its 2013 win.
So what will happen if the pro­
tests continue tomorrow? The
malcontents who would tarnish
Nairobi's name.
number of muggers and robbers
will be higher than last time. The
Four, there were the police. They same goes for looters of businesses
were not ready to let the marchers
and hirelings who will lynch in the
tire and the protest peter out, but
name of protecting businesses and
the shambolic and horrific events
were eager to engage them in run­
Jubilee's reputation.
So, who should do things dif­
of that day.
ning battles and put to use their
truncheons and boots on heads,
Most would want to argue that
ferently and make a difference?
ribs, shoulders and hands.
there was simply a Coalition for
The police, politicians and IEBC
Reforms and Democracy (Cord)­
Most of the mayhem in the city
executives. The politicos by
led demonstration demanding
on that day is attributable to the
switching gears to dialogue and
the immediate disbandment of the
rapprochement; the police by
failure of the police to tactically
Independent Electoral and Bound­ isolate the marchers and discreetly choosing containment and control
aries Commission (IEBC).
over confronting, tear­gassing and
lead them to locations where they
would be in control of the en­
Hardly. Yes, there was a dem­
baton­charging of marchers; and
onstration, but there were several
trances and exits and be completely the beleaguered IEBC top brass by
other unseemly events going on
on top of the situation.
resigning as per the demands of
Cord and assorted leaders.
under the cover of the anti­IEBC
The police would then have eas­
protest. One, there were goons
ily infiltrated the marchers and
Which of the above will happen
whose business in the Central
before tomorrow? This: There will
goons alike, marked out the mug­
be no dialogue between Cord's
Business District was to pounce on gers and looters and those who
unsuspecting people and violently
beat up protesters with ease and
and Jubilee's top brass. Police have
mug and rob them. The largest
apprehended them. Police, armed
partisan support to clobber march­
group was thought to have been
with guns, truncheons and shields, ers hard and won't change. IEBC
came not to control and contain
made up of 10.
bosses will resist public pressure to
Two, there were looters whose
quit. Danger looms large.
but to brutalise all and sundry.
targets were small businesses.
And, five, there are the politi­
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They stormed or swarmed the busi­ cians. The marchers were led by
nesses and robbed them of money
and goods. They were armed with
knives and attacked in groups of
five and upwards.
Three, there were anti­protest
goons. They walked behind the
protesters and then swiftly isolated
and surrounded two to three of
them and attacked them viciously
with all manner of crude weapons,
kicks and fists. They beat them
bloody. They styled themselves
protectors of businesses and sup­
porters of the governing Jubilee
Alliance.
The goons who mugged and
robbed innocent bystanders and
passersby; the thugs who looted
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya