After a dramatic day of protests, Kenyans tried to block all roads leading to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
More violence erupted later that night as residents of Kamiti Road faced brutal police attacks.
The trouble began when protesters lit bonfires at various junctions on Kamiti Road, including Kahawa West roundabout, under the Northern Bypass flyover, around Small Villa in Githurai 44, and at Base and Mirema in Zimmerman Estate.
Throughout the afternoon, these bonfires burned, and hundreds of youths staged demonstrations, completely stopping movement along Kamiti Road.
Motorists on the Northern Bypass, traveling from Marurui towards Kahawa West and beyond, had to use bushy routes to reconnect with Kamiti Road around Jacaranda Estate.
In Githurai 44, areas around Small Villa and Uncle Sam became impassable, causing residents to close their businesses as crowds gathered for a day of clashes with the police.
At around 6 pm, a heavy police presence was seen patrolling Githurai 44. Officers beat and arrested protesters, using live ammunition.
Businesses across Githurai 44 quickly shut down as police fired tear gas into homes and kiosks to flush out protesters, arresting and beating them in front of hiding onlookers.
The chaos continued into the night. Eyewitnesses recording from their balconies reported that police were shooting indiscriminately, stopping young men, ordering them to kneel, and then hauling them into waiting lorries.
Videos recorded by Githurai 44 residents showed school buses caught in the melee as tear gas filled the narrow streets and homes.
Press reports confirmed that many schools around Kamiti Road sent urgent messages to parents, asking them to collect their children immediately.
As the situation escalated, more police arrived, moving from a handful of vans to several unmarked Subarus.
Videos obtained by Citizen Digital showed plainclothes officers patrolling around Small Villa, just outside the Untitled Lounge, with guns drawn as protesters fled.
The Subarus later moved north towards Zimmerman, where they engaged in over an hour of clashes.
As night fell, the violence shifted from Githurai 44 to Zimmerman. Police, in large numbers, stormed the estate, firing live rounds and tear gas into apartments.
Zimmerman, a densely populated area with tall apartments and narrow streets, became the new center of violence, with residents forced out of their homes and balconies filled with tear gas fumes.
“Huku Mirema along Kamiti Road. They threw tear gas into the plot. Kids crying helplessly,” reported one distressed resident.
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