Kisii Residents Sing, Light Candles In CBD To Honour Victims Of Police Brutality: "Mapenzi Ya Baba Yatimizwe"

• The inhabitants of Kisii county gathered in the Central Business District to mourn Kenyans who were killed and injured during maandamano
• They carried placards, lit candles and sang in solidarity as a way of honouring those that lost their lives due to the protests
• Proactivity of Kisii residents has caught many Kenyans by surprise, today's event coming after the locals largely took part in the protests held in the past week

Residents of Kisii county were among Kenyans who thronged the streets to honour compatriots killed and injured during the nationwide maandamano declared by Azimio la Umoja One Kenya leader Raila Odinga.

Kisii residents hold vigil

Kisii has been among areas where residents have actively taken part in demonstrations that began in March and stopped for a while before resuming in July 2023, to the surprise of many political enthusiasts.

The residents carried candles and sang religious songs as they matched to the Central Business District (CBD), where they camped for a moment of silence and spoke against the killing of protesters by police officers.

They broke into Christian songs and chanted "Yesu Oh Yesu mapenzi yako yatimizwe" (Jesus, may your will be done) as they convened for the daytime mourning match.

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya leaders on Monday, July 24, called off protests scheduled to take place on Wednesday, July 26, and substituted the event with vigils and prayer sessions for the deceased and injured.

Number of Kenyans killed in protests

According to Human Rights Organisations like Amnesty International, at least 30 people have been killed in the protests since March, statistics that irked the church and international community.

The government through Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo on Tuesday, July 25, indicated that at least nine police stations had been burnt down, 158 cars vandalised, one police officer killed and 300 others injured in the recent maandamano.

However, the PS failed to indicate the number of Kenyans who died or had been injured in the demonstrations, raising eyebrows.

Government denies police killed protesters during Maandamano

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki also, plainly denied that police had killed Kenyans, accusing quarters that declared the numbers of civilian deaths, of creating a false narrative demeaning the officers.

The move by Kisii residents ignited a debate online, with many Kenyans saying that they had consistently taken part in maandamano and now the mourning marches.

"In Kisii CBD youth have lit candles and are marching peacefully in solidarity of fallen and injured demonstrators. No police harassment hence there's peace. There's a lesson here for police and the government kwa jumla (in totality)," Don Kefa said.

Another Kenyan on Twitter observed that Kisii's loyalty to Raila was fast growing.

"Kisii loyalty to Baba has superseded Kisumu. This shows Luo people don't always vote as expected," said Tony Lee.