Form-Three Student Shot Dead in Power Outages Protest in Wajir
On Sunday, June 4th, a form-three student was killed during a protest against recurring power outages in Wajir Town.
Manaazil Adow Ahmed, according to police and witnesses, was shot and slain a few meters away from the Kenya Power and Lighting offices, where the protest took place.
A group of the community conducted a demonstration in the town to protest what they deemed to be prolonged power outages that have negatively impacted their businesses and daily lives.
They blocked the town’s main road with bonfires and demanded that Kenya Power restore the town’s reliable power supply.
They marched through the streets while chanting “no power, no peace” on their way to the Kenya Power offices.
Police reported that at one point, demonstrators breached town security, entered the Kenya Power offices, and vandalized property.
Before anti-riot police arrived and dispersed them, they shattered glasses, causing running conflicts.
According to local police, the demonstrators forcibly entered the offices by shattering the door, which prompted the action.
Yusuf Farah Muliro, the MP for Wajir West, condemned the police for their actions and vowed to seek justice.
“The people were protesting against persistent power blackouts and instead of them getting help, they were shot at by police. This is wrong,” he said.
He added that they are demanding explanations from the power agency as to why there is no reliable power supply in the region, despite the fact that it is a part of Kenya.
“We have to get a power supply because we all pay taxes. No excuse.”
He stated that the Independent Police Oversight Authority had been notified to investigate the incident and take appropriate action.
Muliro stated that an autopsy will be performed on the body of the 17-year-old boy before he is interred on Monday.
His counterpart in Wajir South, Mohamed Adow, also condemned the murder as illegal.
“The people of Wajir have every right to peacefully protest the power blackout. I am with the people on this. We’ve been told lies for far too long,” he said.
The IPOA and the police have stated that they are investigating the incident.
Form-Three Student Shot Dead in Power Outages Protest in Wajir