Women raped, traders robbed as demonstrations in Kakamega turn ugly

In the heart of Kakamega City, in the veil of darkness, echoes of chaos and destruction filled the air.

Amid the noise of breaking glass and screams of pain, a woman’s life on Jua Kali Estate was irrevocably changed.

Alice Achieng (not her real name) from Kisumu County had moved to Kakamega just five days ago in search of greener pastures.

She had supported the ongoing anti-government protests fighting for good governance. But as the sun sank below the horizon on Tuesday, the peaceful streets of Kakamega turned into scenes of chaos and violence, escalating into anarchy.

As early as 8am, hired thugs armed with rungus and pangas were seen patrolling the streets. Police officers observed the scene from a distance, just before ongoing clashes between youths and police officers broke out.

Business owners had to close their shops, but some unfortunate ones suffered heavy losses when looters broke into their premises.

By 5pm, the situation spiralled out of control, leaving a trail of devastation, financial loss and violence, including reports of rape and people nursing panga-cut wounds.

22-year-old Achieng was raped by a group of nine hooligans who also stole valuables from her house.

“They ran to the properties and spread terror among us,” she said, describing her suffering at the hands of the thugs.

Achieng said The standard that around 8 p.m. a group of nine men “broke into my house and demanded that I give them money or they would rape me.”

“One of them strangled me, another tore my clothes and then carried me out to the stairs. They took turns raping me,” Achieng said.

“I tried to scream, but my weak cries were drowned out by the noise of the rioters. When my neighbors saw what was happening, they raised the alarm and alerted the police, who came to my aid.”

Her neighbours called an ambulance which took her to the Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital.

“They gave me painkillers and started me on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection. I was discharged and asked to come back today (Wednesday) for further examination and counselling,” Achieng said.

One of the men who raped her left his pants behind and handed them over to the police.

Faith Chemtai and Mary Owano, who rescued Achieng, have called on the government to end the protests to prevent further suffering.

“What we saw last night were not peaceful protests, but violence and looting. Shops were looted and property destroyed. This madness must stop,” Chemtai said.

Investigations of The standard has found that at least seven women were gang raped in the settlements of Jua Kali, Joyland, Maraba and Kambi Somali, all on the outskirts of Kakamega.

Businesses were not spared either. Hooligans broke into the bakery section of the Maisha Mart supermarket and stole bread, destroyed surveillance cameras and stole computers.

“We are still investigating how much was stolen and destroyed during the protests. Our preliminary calculations show that we lost at least 6.7 million shillings,” Maurice Anyanje, the supermarket’s manager, told the media yesterday.

Anyanje said the thugs overpowered the police and broke into the bakery, “which we had closed and allowed the workers to go home.”

Neel Prajapati, a manager at the supermarket, said: “We had just brought in new goods and after they broke into the bakery, they carried away everything. We lost wheat flour, sugar, cooking oil and baking machines.”

“This was a robbery in broad daylight and not a peaceful demonstration. This is not about investing our hard-earned money in this country and then becoming beggars in a single day,” Prajapati said.

Some protesters set up roadblocks in Joyland Estate and on Kakamega-Webuye Road. Motorists had to pay between 100 and 500 shillings to get into the city centre. Boda boda riders had to pay 50 shillings.

At one point, thugs were seen looting a National Oil filling station opposite Ambwere Plaza, where the offices of The Standard and KTN are located, throwing stones which caused the shutters of several buildings, including the offices of The Standard Group, to collapse.

“We found a roadblock around the governor’s office. They demanded money and we gave them 50 shillings. They opened our car and took away all the water we had bought for our office,” said Dorcus Wanyama, treasurer of a school in Kakamega Town.

Western Regional Commissioner Irungu Macharia warned protesters against hooliganism.

Residents demanded a thorough investigation into the gang, which appeared to have largely controlled the city on Tuesday.

“The protesters should go home by 6 p.m. They should not allow non-protesters to enter and carry out criminal activities,” Macharia said.