Independent reporting on human rights, environmental and conflict issues

Last Day of Scheduled Protests Sees More Bloodshed

l1021981.jpg
GSU and AP units charge into a residential section of Kibera shooting live ammunition and tear gas. © Anne Holmes

The last day of outlawed protests in Kenya saw a great deal of bloodshed in the Nairobi slum of Kibera. MSF has reported 15 gunshot wounds, and three deaths at the time of writing. Police and military used excessive force on demonstraters after they destroyed a portion of the train track route that leads to Uganda, effectively cutting off supply routes and further crippling the economy. They used tear gas and live ammunition on unarmed protesters.

When I arrived in Kibera it was a virtual war zone. General Service Units (GSU), or the Red Berets as they are sometimes referred to, and Administrative Police (AP) were firing live rounds at will into a neighborhood of Kibera, injuring innocent bystanders, one of whom was in his home. They seemed rather to be enjoying themselves, displaying a kind of bloodthirstiness which I had not as yet witnessed.

UPDATE:
Final official count for Kibera on Friday January 18 was 4 dead, 10 gunshot wounds, and 3 other injuries.

l1021958.jpg
GSU and AP units charge into a residential section of Kibera in Nairobi. © Anne Holmes

l1021967.jpg
AP units fire tear gas into a residential section of Kibera in Nairobi. © Anne Holmes

l1022023.jpg
Two lay dead after police fired live rounds into an unarmed crowd. © Anne Holmes

l1022172.jpg
Realtives of a girl killed during protests in kibera react to her death. © Anne Holmes

l1022057.jpg
A woman reacts to the deaths. © Anne Holmes

l1022079.jpg
A boy not involved in the protests was shot in the face inside his neighborhood by police. © Anne Holmes

l1022122.jpg
A teenage boy who was shot in the eye during protests in Kibera writhes in pain as he waits for an ambulance to arrive. © Anne Holmes

Share

12 Responses to “Last Day of Scheduled Protests Sees More Bloodshed”

  1. […] More protests, more bloodshed in […]

  2. joelski says:

    Heavy duty work, please be careful, cover all perspectives. Peace, Joel

  3. admin says:

    @ John Kaya, have a look around the blog. Plenty of stone-throwing, machete-wielding images and other such disturbing evidence of internecine violence. Your comments about David and Goliath are really poorly placed. By your logic, bombing Gaza for stone-throwing is justified. Disproportionate use of force is a war war crime, though if you must know, a journalist can’t be everywhere at once and I arrived on the scene this particular day just as the protesters had retreated after being mowed down with live bullets.

  4. Medie Hersie says:

    My heart goes to all were affected by the violence and those who lost loved ones and those likely to die from the ongoing violence: While politicians suit back with their rhetoric safely ensconced in their homes and some started flying the kids out of the country, keeping their nestlings unharmed, let me ask , has any of those whole stole this elections ever contemplated it will be like this ???? , or this came not by default by rather by design .

  5. marine.perez says:

    Excellent photoessay, Ms. Holmes. You’ve really captured Kenya’s crude and haunting day-to-day.

  6. Marco says:

    It’s so sad. And it’s obvious: democrazy kills …

  7. Lynn Kauffman says:

    Hello, Anne. To say your photos are powerful is a massive understatement. I have learned so much from your reporting and I am extremely grateful to be on your distribution list. You are courageous, talented, and committed. For God’s sake, be careful and be safe. Warm regards, Abundant white light, and of course–Namaste, Lynn

  8. […] come of age? If you have been following Anne Holmes at the Vigilante Journalist the answer is yes. Here is her blogging on the meltdown in Kenya complete with photos.Warning given the situation in Kenya some pictures are pretty […]

  9. John Kaya says:

    What were some of these protesters doing prior to meeting the wrath of the police. Reuters is full of pictures showing what they were doing, didn’t David kill Goliath using a sling and a stone? Your pictures appear to deliberately omit the other side of the coin, there is not a single picture of your blog of individuals carrying machetes which they are using to kill other Kenyans. What about the killings of certain ethnic communities in Kibera and across the country by those who you claim are protesting peacefully? Why don’t you carry a machete in a western country threatening other citizens, destroy a railway line to endanger the lifes of others or burn and loot, then see what happens.

    http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/articleslideshow?articleId=USWAL22103220080119&channelName=worldNews#a=4

  10. robert ethan says:

    It is appropriate you call yourself the Vigilante Journalist, since you obviously side with the vigiliantes in theis conflict.

  11. Ehsan Maleki says:

    It’s nice to hear from you Anne! And finally I could access your web from Iran!
    All the best!

Leave a Reply