In yet another puzzling turn of events, police officers on Saturday afternoon lobbed teargas canisters at a meeting attended by political allies of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Tension flared after Gachagua's allies, led by Nyandarua Senator John Methu, gathered to address residents of Gilgil in Nakuru County, prompting police officers to begin dispersing the crowd.
During the incident, one person was reportedly injured on the leg. In the footage obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, the man was captured seated on the ground while holding onto his bleeding leg.
Videos and images widely circulated on social media further showed police officers engaging in running battles with the residents, who retaliated by throwing stones.
While the main cause of the disruption is yet to be established, the opposition leaders have since condemned the incident, terming it not only a sign of dictatorship but also cowardly.
According to a statement by Gachagua's Democracy for the Citizens' Party, the officers orchestrated the attack under unlawful instructions from their superiors.
DCP maintained that what happened in Gilgil was not only unlawful but a direct attack on democracy and an archaic mutilation of the Constitution of Kenya.
"The Political Parties Act and the Constitution of Kenya guarantee every political party the right to freely engage, organise, and mobilise support across the country," read part of the party's statement.
The statement further read, "These repeated and planned acts of intimidation and suppression against our party, DCP, must be called out and stopped."
While condemning the attack, the opposition leaders called on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to take quick and decisive action against the perpetrators.
They lamented that despite making several attempts to raise the issue, their efforts had been in vain due to a lack of accountability from authorities mandated to investigate police excesses.
“If this trend of police brutality and interference continues, our supporters may be forced to respond and defend their rights within the bounds of the law,” the opposition leaders warned.
