This archive report was first published on 25 June 2020.
On June 25, 2020, a sense of unease gripped Lessos town, Nandi County, as hundreds of protesters took to the streets following the death of a local cobbler and shoe shiner.
The body of the deceased was found lying by the roadside in the morning, with blood flowing from his head in what was suspected to be a gunshot wound.
As news of the incident spread, a crowd gathered around the body, and emotions soon ran high, with protests erupting as residents accused a local police officer of causing his death.
Protesters set car tyres on fire and chanted anti-police slogans, demanding justice as they blocked the Kapsabet-Nandi Highway, paralysing traffic.
According to eyewitnesses, boda boda riders in the area joined in the protests, which were still ongoing by the time of publication, and demanded to be addressed by police.
They maintained that they would not relent until action was taken on the alleged perpetrator, whom they accused of terrorising area residents.
Protesters described the slain shoe-shiner as an honest hardworking man with no known involvement in questionable dealings, seeking answers on the circumstances surrounding his death.
As the protests continued, frustrated drivers were left waiting, unable to proceed with their journeys.
Lessos is not the only area to witness such incidents, as reported police brutality and extra-judicial killings have been on the rise since the enforcement of the nationwide curfew began as part of Covid-19 restrictions.
Statistics from the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) revealed that on June 2, investigations into the deaths of 15 civilians linked to curfew enforcement had been launched.
Other than the alleged killings, IPOA noted that it was investigating 31 incidents where victims sustained injuries linked to the actions of police officers during curfew enforcement.
Since the end of March 2020, 87 complaints against the police had been reported, according to IPOA.
