Women raped, traders robbed as demos turn ugly in Kakamega

Alice Achieng (not her real name) says she was raped during anti-government protests on Tuesday in Kakamega. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

In the heart of Kakamega Town, under the shroud of darkness, the echoes of chaos and destruction filled the air.

Amid the cacophony of breaking glass and anguished cries, a woman's life at Jua Kali Estate was irreversibly altered.

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

She had supported the ongoing anti-government protests agitating for good governance. But as the sun dipped below the horizon on Tuesday, the peaceful streets of Kakamega were transformed into scenes of chaos and violence and escalated into anarchy.

Hired goons armed with rungus and pangas could be seen patrolling the streets as early as 8am with police officers watching from a distance moments before youths started engaging the police in running battles.

Business owners were forced to close their shops but unlucky ones suffered heavy losses as looters broke into their business premises.

At around 5pm things spiralled out of control, leaving a trail of destruction, financial losses, and violence, including reports of rape and people nursing panga cut wounds.

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

"They ran to the estates and unleashed terror on us," she recounted her suffering at the hands of the goons.

Achieng told The Standard that at around 8pm, a group of nine men "broke into my house and demanded that I give them money or they rape me".

"One of them strangled me, another tore my clothes and then carried me out to the staircases. They raped me in turns," said Achieng.

"I tried shouting but the faint screams I was making were drowned by the noise the rioters were making. When my neighbours saw what was happening, they raised an alarm and alerted the police who came to my rescue."

Her neighbours called for an ambulance that 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 report back today (Wednesday) for further examination and counselling," said Achieng.

One of the men who raped her left his trouser which has been handed over to the police.

Faith Chemtai and Mary Owano, who saved Achieng, have asked the government to end the protests to avert further suffering.

"What we saw last night was not peaceful protests but violence and looting. Shops were looted, and property was vandalised. This kind of madness has to stop," said Chemtai.

Investigations by The Standard has established that at least seven women were gang raped at Jua Kali, Joyland, Maraba and Kambi Somali estates, all located on the outskirts of Kakamega Town.

Businesses were not spared either. At Maisha Mart supermarket's bakery section, hooligans broke in and stole bread, smashed CCTV cameras and stole computers.

"We are still quantifying what was stolen and destroyed during the protests. Our preliminary calculations show that we lost at least Sh6.7 million," Maurice Anyanje, the supermarket's General Manager told the media yesterday.

Anyanje said the goons overpowered the police and broke into the bakery "which we had closed and allowed workers to go home."

Neel Prajapati, a director at the supermarket said: "We had just brought in new stock and after breaking into the bakery, they carried everything away. We lost wheat flour, sugar, cooking oil and baking machines."

"This was a daytime robbery and not a peaceful demonstration. It's not in order to make investments in this country using our hard-earned money, only to be reduced to paupers in a single day," said Prajapati.

Some protesters mounted roadblocks at Joyland Estate and on the Kakamega-Webuye Road. Motorists were forced to part with between Sh100 and Sh500 to be allowed to access the town centre. Boda boda riders were asked to pay Sh50.

At one point, goons who were seen looting at National Oil Petrol station opposite Ambwere Plaza which hosts The Standard and KTN offices. They hurled stones that shuttered glass windows at several premises, including The Standard Group offices.

"We found a roadblock mounted around the governor's office. They asked for money and we gave them Sh50. They opened our car and took all the water we had bought for our office," said Dorcus Wanyama, a bursar at a school in Kakamega Town.

Western Regional Commissioner Irungu Macharia has warned the protesters against engaging in hooliganism.

Residents demanded thorough investigations into the gang that appeared to have taken over the town for the better part of Tuesday.

"The protesters should go home by 6pm. They should not allow those who are not protesters to infiltrate and engage in criminal activities," said Macharia