An angry mob on Tuesday, July 8, torched the Itibo Patrol Base in Bonyunyu, Nyamira County, in protest after a 19-year-old man was shot and seriously wounded during clashes with police.
This came as President William Ruto on Wednesday warned those who attack police stations will face the full force of the law.
He said anyone attacking businesses and police stations should be shot in the leg. He condemned the attacks on police officers and security installations, terming them acts of terrorism and a direct declaration of war.
“We cannot have a nation that is run by terror, that is governed by violence. We cannot, and it will not happen under my watch,” he stated.
“This war of destroying and burning people’s property must stop.”
He assured Kenyans that the government will deploy all available means to stabilise the country and restore order.
He emphasised that Kenya would not be held hostage by anarchy and political shortcuts.
“Anyone burning and destroying property should be shot in the leg and taken to hospital and be arrested. They should not kill him or her,” he said.
He spoke at the Kilimani police station where he inspected an ongoing construction of police houses.
In Nyamira, police said the station was first looted and then set ablaze. Houses used by officers were also vandalised and looted during the chaos.
Authorities confirmed that no firearms were stolen and that all weapons in the station’s armoury remained secure. The violence began after a group of students staged a protest outside the offices of the local Member of the County Assembly for unspecified reasons.
Anti-riot police were deployed to disperse the crowd, which had grown after locals joined in. During the operation, police reported that a man was shot in the stomach, prompting anger among residents.
A mob then marched to the police base, overwhelmed the officers, and set the facility on fire. Police residences were also targeted and destroyed.
Additional officers were deployed to the area to regain control of the situation.
Sub-county police commander Elizabeth Wakuloba later visited the scene and confirmed that investigations had been launched.
The injured man was taken to a local hospital and is reportedly in critical condition.
In a separate incident in Menyenya village, also in Nyamira County, a man set two family houses on fire in what police described as a bizarre occurrence.
Villagers apprehended the suspect and handed him over to the police for questioning. The motive behind the act remains unclear, and the investigation is ongoing.
Cases of arson and attacks on place installations have been on the rise in the past months. Up to 15 police stations have been attacked in the past month alone amid action on those behind the trend.
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