Nyandarua: 26 county gov’t vehicles torched in June 25 anniversary demos

Some 26 Nyandarua County government vehicles were torched during Wednesday’s demonstrations to mark the first anniversary of last year’s anti-Finance Bill protests. 

According to the county government, the vehicles were parked at the Olkalou sub-county offices.

Five of the 16 were grounded in the incident, which also saw 18 county government motorbikes burnt.

The county said newly purchased music equipment was also destroyed in the fire.

Police in Olkalou engaged in running battles with protesters for a large part of Wednesday, lobbing tear gas at crowds of protesters who barricaded roads with stones.

In addition to the major cities of Nairobi, Mombasa, and Eldoret, protests were witnessed in major towns across Kakamega, Narok, Busia, Makueni, Nyeri, Laikipia, Nyandarua, Machakos, Homa Bay, and Kirinyaga counties.

Late evening, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said it recorded eight fatalities from Machakos (2), Makueni (2), Nakuru (1), Kiambu (1), Uasin Gishu (1) and Nyandarua (1). 

KNCHR also reported over 400 casualties, including protesters, police officers, and journalists.

Of these, the majority had been treated and discharged, the rights commission said, with 83 referred for specialised treatment.