Shops closed, teargas as police engage Kitengela protesters

Protesters are currently engaged in running battles with police in Kitengela, Kajiado County.

Anti-riot police swung into action after some demonstrators barricaded Namanga Road with stones, disrupting transport on Wednesday mid-morning.

The protesters lit fires using tyres and chanted anti-government slogans.

The standoff between police and demonstrators has been ongoing for close to two hours.

The situation has led to the closure of nearly all businesses, with only a few vehicles plying the Nairobi–Namanga Road.

Security has been heightened, with police aircraft conducting surveillance in the area.

Police have been using teargas canisters to disperse the surging crowds in what resembles a game of hide and seek between law enforcers and protesters.

Their owners, leaving the Kitengela Bus Stage idle, have withdrawn most public service vehicles. Only a few tuk-tuks and motorcycles used by boda boda operators are parked at the stage.

Several police Land Cruisers and Subaru vehicles, commonly used by Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers, are patrolling the area.

Businesses have ground to a halt as groups of youth stand idle in various parts of the town.

Most employers released their staff due to the unrest in Kitengela town and its surroundings.

Some protesters hurled stones at officers during the confrontation.

Elsewhere, in Mlolongo and Machakos town, tens of anti-riot police officers were deployed to man key areas, including along the Nairobi Expressway.

Heavy police presence was observed across most parts of the towns and along the Nairobi–Mombasa Highway from early Wednesday morning.

The tension led to a spike in transport fares between Nairobi and towns such as Kitengela, Machakos, and Athi River, before PSV operators pulled their vehicles off the roads.

Matatus charged up to Sh400 from Mlolongo to Machakos town—nearly three times the normal fare of Sh150.

Shops were also closed in Mlolongo town.

Government offices in the area have been reinforced with security.

Machakos town remained calm by mid-morning Wednesday.