Public outcry, hiked fares as suspected thugs take over Mlolongo protests
- The demonstrators engaged police officers in running battles between the Gateway Mall in Syokimau and Signature Mall in the Sabaki area for the better part of the day.
- Several motorists who were caught up in the melee reported harassment with some claiming they were robbed of their mobile phones and money alongside other valuables.
Tension heightened in Mlolongo town and its environs on Tuesday as suspected goons took over the streets in the ongoing anti-government demonstrations.
The demonstrators in their hundreds took over the town in Machakos County in mid-day Tuesday.
They thronged the usually busy Nairobi - Mombasa Highway and completely paralysed transport with motorists avoiding the road.
The demonstrators engaged police officers in running battles between the Gateway Mall in Syokimau and Signature Mall in the Sabaki area for the better part of the day.
They blocked several sections of the highway using stones and lit live fires using tyres.
Several motorists who were caught up in the melee reported harassment with some claiming they were robbed of their mobile phones and money alongside other valuables.
"What's going on in Mlolongo isn't demonstrations, but thuggery and robbery with violence," a motorist told the Star.
The demonstrators at some point attempted to vandalise the Expressway but were repulsed by a contingent of police officers. The town, however, turned into a battlefield between demonstrators and police officers.
Traders within the town were never spared as well as some businesses were invaded, looted and destroyed.
The victims included those operating shops with refrigerators in front of their shops which were broken into and bottles of soda carted away by the protesters.
Several buildings also had their glass windows broken after they were hit with stones.
Residents said the demonstrators causing terror in the area were not known to them claiming they might have been ferried to cause havoc in the area as well as other parts of Machakos county.
Police used rubber bullets and teargas canisters to disperse the demonstrators who kept regrouping and returning to the highway.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).