This archive report was first published on 12 November 2019.
On November 11, 2019, a tense standoff unfolded on the Thika Superhighway in Kenya as residents of Juja joined forces with police to round up and eject protesting students from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
The students had taken to the streets earlier that morning to voice their concerns over rising insecurity around the campus, blocking the busy highway in the process.
However, the peaceful protest quickly turned chaotic as the students clashed with police in running battles, causing a significant traffic snarl-up along the highway.
Locals, who had initially remained neutral, eventually intervened, assisting the police in driving the students out of the institution and its surroundings.
"Things became uglier when locals joined the police and started beating up the students," said Amos Wafula, a student who witnessed the events unfold.
According to Caleb Omari, another student, the police and area residents used excessive force to disperse the students, with many being injured in the process.
