A Nairobi youth from Mathare will spend a night inside a police cell after he was caught unawares by a plain-clothed police officer during the Azimio la Umoja protests.
The officer, dressed in a maroon sweater, blue jeans, and white sneakers, disguised himself as a journalist covering the event at the heart of the slum on Wednesday, July 19.
From engaging the crowd to taking photos with his cell phone, he seamlessly wooed the protesters to continue demonstrating. Unbeknownst to the protester, the officer was working in cahoots with his uniformed counterparts.
In the 1-minute clip, the plain-clothed is heard being instructed to pounce on the protester who was daring the officers to arrest him.
With calculated stealth, the officer swiftly manoeuvred from the sidelines toward the protester. With lightning speed, he pounced on his target, surprising the bewildered individual.
Upon realising that he was cornered, the protester opted against fighting for his freedom and was dragged towards a waiting police truck as several officers descended a few slaps on him.
In another related incident, a special police unit travelling inside Subaru cars intervened and aided their colleagues who were overpowered by rioters at Jacaranda Gardens in Nairobi.
The unit, which raised eyebrows since the demonstrations kicked off on Wednesday, July 12, was called in after protesters attempted to take over a police vehicle forcefully.
Initially, the demonstrators tried to stone the officers out of the contested ground that Azimio la Umoja had secured for their rally.
Reports allege that at least one person lost his life, and several others were injured during the demonstrations that rocked the country.
Azimio also claimed that nine politicians allied to the party were arrested, including Embakasi East MP Babu Owino. Its lawyers, led by Danstan Omari, moved to court to secure their release.
In a statement, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga asked his supporters to end the demonstrations by 5 pm and resume on Thursday and Friday
