This archive report was first published on 2 November 2019.
On Saturday, the streets of Bomet town were filled with the heavy presence of anti-riot police, causing tension among traders.
Some business owners closed their shops, fearing confrontation between the police and youth who had planned a rally over the Mau Evictions.
Bomet Central Sub County Police Commander Musa Omari Imamai explained that the deployment was precautionary, citing reports of a prayer rally that had been banned.
“It is normal patrols over reports we had about a prayer rally which had been banned and we did not want to leave anything to chance,” Imamai said.
Imamai added that the highly publicised rally had spread fear, and officers were only out to calm tension.
However, the youth who had called off the rally accused the police of creating fear, with Victor Rop stating, “It is wrong to cause such fear with huge police presence that business owners are forced to close shop.”
The organisers of the rally termed the police's reasons for banning it as flimsy, with Bomet County Commissioner Geoffrey Omonding citing exam season as the reason for prohibiting rallies.
