Seeing the Firsthand Effects of Being Under Protest

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I am not new to being in a country under protest. While in Bolivia we were under protest for 38 days straight. So when PTS told me that two days after arriving in Kenya I could not come to their offices due to protests I was not particularly phased. The protest was being organized by the opposition party because of large increases in the cost of living. The downtown area of Nairobi near the government buildings was a natural location for riots. The other was Kirbra: the slum where PTS is based as well as the opposition party. The residents of the slum were paid $1USD (a daily wage) to join the riots.

That first day I stayed away from those areas, but I did spent time in other parts of the city without any incident. One person was shot by the police, there was a lot of tear gas, and street fires but beyond that the impact was limited. Because of this limited response received the opposition said the protests would continue every Monday and Thursday. The next protests turned much more violent in the slum area.

There has been ongoing tension in Kibera due to a local land dispute. There is a church and mosque next to each other that are controlled by different communities. There was an argument over land rights which went to the courts and the church as awarded the rights. The losing party took the riots as an opportunity to loot, damage, and burn down the church. The church housed a training center, school, day care and other community services. Additionally 6 people were killed as well as countless other damaged shops, homes, cars, and buildings. The fire department was not permitted to assist so the fires burnt all night and PTS was worried their center would catch on fire as it was just a few buildings down from the church.

I was at PTS today to see the unfortunate results of the riots first hand. I felt the effects of tear gas still in the air as we walked the streets. I am so sad to see a community of people who already have so little experience more loss at the hands of their neighbors. This afternoon there were funerals for the dead and then revenge was promised. I left the slum by mid afternoon when we saw the shop owners removing their goods and boarding up their stalls. I am not in danger at my apartment, but I am asking for constant updates from the team. The women have been instructed to stay inside while the men are outside to protest businesses, homes, and property. I will learn more tomorrow when I return to PTS.

Here is a link to pictures and videos of the riots in Kibera:

33 Itemsshare.icloud.com

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