Residents of Kericho took to the streets on Saturday, May 6, over the death of a local man who fell and drowned in a river during a chase with officers.
According to the locals, the man alongside two others was caught in the act allegedly harvesting tea leaves from a local farm at night on Friday, May 5.
Alarmed, security officers went after the three men to apprehend them until they got to River Chemosit where one of them tripped and fell.
“The officers chased them down to the river where they decided to cross to the other side but one of the men fell and drowned. The two other men luckily escaped unharmed.
"Until this minute we do not know where the man is because the police have not yet retrieved his body," one of the residents stated.
Police officers were forced to lob teargas to disperse the protesters who demanded that the body of the local man is recovered as soon as possible.
Additionally, the residents claimed that the factory failed to offer the local jobs forcing them to turn to unconventional means to earn a living.
The protesters accused the factory management of promising them job opportunities for years without anything coming forth.
“They tell us every day they will hire us but they hire other people. The levels of poverty have gone up. Everyone is affected and we do not know what to do,” a protester added.
Further, the residents threatened to continue protesting until the body of the man was retrieved.
However, the police officer urged the residents to engage in other legal activities instead of raiding farms in the region.
"I want to ask the residents of Kemosit to stop stealing tea leaves from the farm and find other ways of making money," an officer stated.
