KDRTV News – Nyamira County: A wave of public outrage has swept through Nyamira County, resulting in the torching of Itibo Police Station after police officers fatally shot a student during a peaceful protest.
The tragedy has triggered long-standing tensions between law enforcement and the community, with widespread calls for justice and accountability.
The unrest which erupted on Tuesday when students from Nyamira National Polytechnic organized a peaceful demonstration to protest rising insecurity, poor state of roads, lack of electricity, bad governance and alleged injustices in their region.
Students from Nyamira National Polytechnic are protesting the poor state of roads, lack of electricity and bad governance.
Eyewitnesses report that what began as a calm march quickly turned deadly when police opened fire on the crowd, critically injuring two students.
One student succumbed to their injuries, while the other remains hospitalized in critical condition. The deceased student’s identity has yet to be publicly disclosed, but their death has become a powerful symbol of the community’s frustration with police brutality.
In the hours following the shooting, anger escalated as residents and students gathered outside the Itibo Police Station. Overwhelmed by rage, they stormed the facility, setting it ablaze in a violent uprising in protest . Witnesses say officers fled the scene before the crowd arrived, leaving the station in ruins.
Human rights groups and local leaders have strongly condemned the police’s use of lethal force on peaceful demonstrators. “No student deserves to die for exercising their right to protest,” one activist stated, calling for swift justice against those responsible.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has launched investigations into both the fatal shooting and the arson. Government officials are also urging calm, promising accountability for the officers involved in the shooting and for those behind the destruction of the police station.
