Police use tear gas to disperse rioting crowds in demos against IEBC chiefs

Police on Monday used tear gas and water cannons to break up protests called by the Cord leaders to force out the leadership of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) before the next elections.

In Nairobi, Cord leaders Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula claimed that the Government was protecting the nine commissioners so that they can help Jubilee to win the 2017 General Election.

They vowed to boycott the polls if the current team remains in office.

“We will not allow ourselves to participate in an election only for Jubilee to be handed victory,” Mr Odinga told supporters outside the IEBC offices.

The protest was disrupted by police shortly after Mr Odinga finished speaking.

He was whisked to a waiting car as teargas engulfed him and his security team and his supporters fled in different directions.

Besides Nairobi, violent protests were witnessed in Kisumu, Homa Bay, Migori and Nyamira counties.

In Kisumu, the demonstrations were led by Deputy Governor Ruth Odinga.

“(IEBC chairman Issack) Hassan and his team should know that their time is up and leave office. This time we will stop at nothing until we have a credible team to oversee the next elections,” said Ms Odinga.

HEAVY POLICE PRESENCE

IEBC offices in various parts of the country were guarded by police to ward off any chaos.

In Nairobi, police used irritants from anti-riot water cannon trucks to disperse Cord supporters after Mr Odinga, Mr Musyoka and Senate Minority Leader Wetang’ula had addressed them outside IEBC headquarters.

The Cord leaders said they would not end the weekly protests unless the commissioners, led by Chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan, are removed from office.

They accused IEBC of stealing elections and the Jubilee Coalition of holding on to the electoral team with the aim of using the commission to rig the 2017 elections.

“They (Jubilee) are shaken, that is why they are trying to hold on to Hassan,” Mr Odinga said.

He described the Government as “mercenaries” and blamed it for the killing of businessman Jacob Juma.

He also led the protesters in observing a moment of silence in honour of the controversial businessman, who was gunned down on Friday. Mr Odinga at the weekend accused police of killing him.

“Tumeamua kwa uchaguzi ujao hatutakubali tena kwenda kichinjioni (We have resolved that for the next election we will not allow ourselves to be led into a slaughterhouse again),” he said.

Mr Musyoka claimed that one commissioner, Mr Thomas Letangule, had been to South Korea to buy Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits that had been programmed to rig elections in favour of Jubilee.

“Election rigging does not start at the ballot box but is ongoing right now with the purchase of pre-programmed BVR kits from Korea,” Mr Musyoka said.

He also sensationally claimed that young people below the age of 18 were being given identity cards and voters’ cards to influence the election.

“Even if they issue voters cards of the dead, we will still remove them from office,” he said.

The earlier part of the demonstration was characterised by harassment of wananchi as Cord supporters marched through various city streets as they made their way to the IEBC offices.

Business owners on Haile Selassie and Moi Avenues, University Way and nearby areas closed their shops for fear of looting.

However, some wananchi had their valuables, including mobile phones, snatched by some of the demonstrators in a group led by Ruaraka MP Tom Kajwang.

The Nation team witnessed at least five such cases. However, some demonstrators turned against the thieving group and beat them up.

Mr Kajwang is one of the members of the ‘Firimbi Movement’ who had earlier held a meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel from 10 am to around noon before assembling at Uhuru Park with their supporters.

From Uhuru Park, the group marched towards Upper Hill Road and joined Haile Selassie Avenue and turning onto Moi Avenue holding anti-IEBC placards and shouting slogans.

The demonstrators then met another group, which had converged outside Lilian Towers, just a short distance from the IEBC headquarters.

The three Cord leaders later arrived and addressed the gathering at around 1:20pm.

They demanded that the commission be disbanded, charging that it was too compromised to supervise next year’s General Election.

Once the speeches were over at about 2:30pm, police lobbed teargas at the demonstrators.

Mr Odinga and Mr Wetang’ula were ushered into the same car by their security team under a cloud of teargas.

Chaos ensued as the demonstrators scattered in various directions. A television camera man, a police officer and one woman were injured in the melee.

Within 15 minutes, however, University Way was all clear save for riot police officers and journalists.

Police also lobbed tear gas inside the University of Nairobi after some students started throwing stones at them.

There were unconfirmed reports that some tear gas canisters were thrown inside an examination room, forcing students to run out. Normal traffic flow resumed at around 3pm.