Kenya police tear gas protesters demanding closure of energy company

Kenyan police fired tear gas at dozens of protesters in Nairobi who were demanding closure of the country’s biggest electricity distributor on Thursday.

The protesters accuse Kenya’s Power and Lighting Company of corruption and inflating customer bills.

“I think that the police is using excessive force against a peaceful group of demonstrators. It is our right to assemble, it’s our right to protest peacefully. We have not broken any laws, and it is completely illegal that the police is trying to break up our peaceful march”, an activist, Jerotich Seii said.

The activist has a strong message for the world about corruption in Kenya.

“We have a serious accountability issue and cartels are protected, thieves are protected and we have to bring that to an end”, Seii added.

Local media reports say, the protesters also allege energy cartels have been using corrupt officials of the electicity distribution company to defraud the Kenyan government.

One man was seen being arrested by plain clothe police officers and bundled into the back of a car.

The Associated Press reports that a journalist was also injured after he was hit by a tear gas canister.

AP