'Nane Nane': 174 protesters arrested, as police claim they were not notified of demos

Police on Thursday arrested 174 individuals nationwide during the Nane Nane anti-government protests, acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli has announced.

Addressing journalists at Jogoo House in Nairobi in the evening, Masengeli noted that the protests recorded low turnouts across the country with minimal instances of looting and property damage.

“Unlike the recent demonstrations that were marred with wanton destructions of property, looting, injuries and loss of lives, today the country remained peaceful and normalcy prevailed, except in Nairobi where one officer was injured,” said the acting Police IG. 

“Minimal skirmishes were witnessed in Downtown Nairobi, Kisii and Migori towns where attempts by goons to loot property was effectively thwarted by Officers.”

Masengeli similarly highlighted that several arrests were made in Nairobi, Kitengela and Emali for attempts to disturb the peace and disrupt normalcy.

“We also arrested a total of 174 suspects that is, 126 in Nairobi, 22 in Kitengela-Rift Valley, and 26 at Emali-Makueni County,” he said.

The police boss went ahead to note that orgaizers of the Nane Nane protests failed to notify the security organs of their planned actions as enshrined in the law.

He, nevertheless, noted that police officers were up to the task and deployed accordingly to ensure no chaos was witnessed as prior intelligence had showed.

“We acknowledge the supremacy of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 in particular Article 37 that guarantees right for every person peaceably and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket, and to present petitions to public authorities,” said Masengeli.

“Despite failure by conveners of today’s demonstration to notify the Police of their intention to hold the demonstration, we ensured adequate deployment of security personnel and cautioned members of public to avoid crowded areas that were likely to turn riotous.”

On Wednesday, Masengeli warned that the Thursday protests could be infiltrated by goons, threatening the country's security.

Speaking during a press address then, Masengeli highlighted that intelligence reports had pointed to the same, insisting that officers will not hesitate to engage the marauders.

“The initial demonstrations held in June were peaceful but subsequent protests morphed into riots, with looters destroying and stealing property,” he said.

While urging members of the public to exercise vigilance during the protests, Masengeli likewise cautioned protesters against trespassing on protected land like the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and State House.