Two youths were, on Tuesday, February 20, reportedly shot dead in Marachi, Busia, while several others were injured after a scuffle ensued between them and the police.
The two, who were members of a youth group referred to as the Marachi Jobless Youths, were protesting against Busia Governor Paul Otuoma whom they accused of turning a blind eye to numerous challenges facing them.
One of their grievances was the rate of joblessness, which they argued had skyrocketed.
For the third consecutive day, the youth engaged the police in a running battle, forcing the County Commissioner, Mwachaunga Chaunga, to intervene. However, they were warned against disturbing peace and disrupting business operations in the area.
In their defence, the youth claimed that the governor had neglected his duties and deviated from a Memorandum of Understanding between them.
The residents further claimed that the governor excluded them from key government meetings and allocation of trading kiosks in Busia town.
“They demolished our kiosks and promised to build modern shops for us. Instead, he is allocating and selling the spaces to the rich people in this area,” one resident stated.
Another one lamented that his husband contacted her to meet him at Egesa Hospital, where he showed up while bleeding profusely from gunshot wounds. Police, allegedly whisked him away before he could see the doctor and hasn’t been seen ever since.
“Two landcruisers showed up at the hospital and took him away. I haven’t seen him since then,” she claimed while speaking with the media.
Busia County Commissioner Mwachaunga Chaunga promised to deal with perpetrators and assured the residents that he would liaise with the police to deploy more security to the area.
“We want peace. We should talk if there is a problem, not fight. We can’t have the public fighting the government anyhow,” Chaunga stated.
In related incidents, five people were on Tuesday killed by bandits in the Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo and Samburu counties.
Bandits, in one of the cases, ambushed and killed a 59-year-old man in Baringo North and two others in Marakwet East, before fleeing with their cattle.
