Patrick Makau, Mavoko MP, was arrested after being linked to anti-government protests at the Mlolongo Expressway exit on Wednesday. He was allegedly taken in at 4 am Thursday morning from his Karen home in Nairobi.
“He was interrogated by the director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Nairobi area. He denied his involvement in the demonstrations that saw property worth millions vandalised including the toll station in the Nairobi Expressway Mlolongo exit” A senior officer part of the interrogations commented.
The arrest has risen reactions from people both online and offline. The trade CS, Moses Kuria, has tried to weigh in on the matter. Alongside him, the conversation on the destruction of property from officials that occurred on Wednesday has rubbed shoulders negatively with the common ‘mwananchi’.
” The violence in Mlolongo yesterday was because we evicted squatters from East Africa Portland land led by Mavoko Mp Patrick Makau. Today we will evict all illegal squatters. You can burn all you want but ‘sibanduki’,” Kuria said.
In the demonstrations happening in Mlolongo on Wednesday, the Expressway was vandalised as well as the Quickmart supermarket located in the area was looted. The demonstrators torched tyres and lit fires to block roads in the area. When the police came to tear the demonstrations down, a few were caught in the gun crossfire and affected by the tear gas released to disperse the protesters. Toll stations were closed due to the violent protests witnessed in the area.
Consequences of anti-government protests
Consequentially, three toll stations along the Nairobi expressway have been indefinitely closed. These are, Mlolongo, Syokimau and Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) that were destroyed after the demonstrations on Wednesday. The government seeks to increase security throughout the expressway stretch to prevent a reoccurrence of property destruction.
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Aside from Mlolongo vandalism, other areas have experienced harm and destruction to property fueled by the demonstrations. Counties such as Kisii where the people blocked roads and lit car tyres to block the roads. Many have also suffered in the crossfire with the police engaging in dispersing the protestors. Over 600 people were picked up by the police after the Wednesday demonstrations. Alongside these disruptions, School children were hospitalised after a can of tear gas found its way into school property.
Misdst the destruction of property witnessed, a few police officers were caught on camera allegedly taking gas cylinders and loading them into the police van.
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