Commerce informel : émeute à Nairobi – 21 novembre 2011

Youths battle police over disputed Woodley plot

capitalfm.co.ke

November 21, 2011

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 21 – Police were forced to shoot in the air and lob teargas canisters at a group of rowdy youths who were pelting them with stones when they went to quell riots at Woodley Estate.

A truck carrying building materials was burnt and scores of the youths wounded during Monday morning’s confrontation.

The youths said they were protesting the demolition of their makeshift kiosks and garages which were erected on a piece of land claimed by a private developer.

“We have been working here for the last 30 years, how can someone come up now and claim this land belongs to him? They have destroyed our livelihood and there is no way we can stand and watch,” one youth exclaimed.

Another mechanic who said he had been operating a kiosk on the grounds said; “It is totally unacceptable. It is the highest level of impunity we have ever had for the council to escort someone to come and bring down people’s businesses.”

The controversial piece of land is located on Joseph Kang’ethe Road within Woodley Estate.

Trouble started on Friday when city council askaris accompanied by armed Administration Police officers demolished the makeshift kiosks at dawn, causing a major confrontation which took police several hours to quell.

On Monday morning, a truck transporting building materials passed-by and the youths started shouting at its crew, accusing them of being used to deliver stones there to be used to construct a perimeter wall on the disputed ground.

That is when the truck was set ablaze and its crew beaten before they fled on foot.

Police from the Kilimani police station were quickly dispatched to disperse the rowdy youths who were chasing anyone trying to put out the truck fire.

“There is no way we will allow rowdy youths to destroy people’s property like this. That is why I sent my officers here and instead of obeying the police orders they started pelting them with stones,” Kilimani divisional Police chief Bernard Muli said. At least 20 people were in the confrontation.

“We suspect these are the people who set the truck on fire and they must face the law,” Muli said. Read more…