Police have reportedly reopened the Southern Bypass after goons had overrun the road earlier on Saturday morning.
Images and videos analysed by wamuzinews.co.ke revealed that the busy road was blocked at Thogoto and Gitaru Interchange, with traffic coming to a standstill.
Videos showed tyres burning on the road, with stones also placed on both lanes of the busy connecting road at the Kiamburi area. Near the burning tyres, some groups of youth can be seen with batons, and many have covered their faces.
Latest information arriving at the newsroom indicates police have reopened the Southern Bypass at Gitaru and traffic is now flowing freely. The roads are said to have been closed by suspected goons ahead of Rigathi Gachagua and the United Opposition’s political tour in the area, raising security concerns.
Residents reported that access to Kikuyu Town was blocked at the railway bridge. At the same time, Dagoretti-Kikuyu roads were also shut down. Earlier, motorists reported no police presence at the affected
The chaotic scenes this morning were preceded by a flurry of accusations and counter-accusations between Gachagua and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah that began Friday and spilled into Saturday morning.
Early Friday, Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) wrote to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, alleging a coordinated plot to disrupt their rally.
The letter named senior administration and police officers, claiming they had met on April 9 at Kentmere Club on Limuru Road “to plan on the disruption”. DCP further alleged that goons would vandalise businesses to trigger police intervention, while heavy vehicles would be stalled across highways to block the convoy’s access to the venue.
By Friday evening, Ichung’wah had fired back with his own letter to the IG, dismissing Gachagua’s concerns as a calculated ploy. The Majority Leader accused Gachagua of running “a deliberate campaign of incitement, hate and violence targeting the people of Kikuyu Constituency”.
Ichung’wah warned Kanja, “Do not fall into this trap to withdraw security teams from protecting Kikuyu Town.”
He alleged that Gachagua had directed DCP aspirants across Kiambu, Nairobi, Muranga, Kirinyaga and Nyandarua Counties to mobilise and transport goons to Kikuyu Town, attaching what he described as photo and video evidence.
DCP, for its part, maintained that its recent meetings across Kiambu, in Gatundu North, Juja, Kabete and Githunguri constituencies, had all been peaceful and orderly, questioning why Kikuyu Town warranted special treatment.
It is not immediately clear who is backing the goons, however, Gachagua has insisted since Wednesday that the government must not send any goons to interfere with the planned rally.
Leave a Reply