Demos in Kakamega turned ugly as traders were looted and women assaulted.

Echoes of mayhem and devastation resounded through the center of Kakamega Town, enveloped in darkness.

In the midst of shattered glass and heartbroken screams, a woman at Jua Kali Estate had her life forever changed.
Five days ago, Alice Achieng (not her real name) moved to Kakamega from Kisumu County in search of better opportunities.
She had backed the ongoing demonstrations against the administration that called for ethical leadership. However, the quiet streets of Kakamega turned into scenes of mayhem and violence as the sun set on Tuesday, eventually turning into anarchy.
Police officers were observing from a distance as hired thugs carrying pangas and rungus patrolled the streets as early as 8 am. Shortly after, young people began running fights with the police.While some business owners were forced to close, others were not so fortunate and incurred significant losses when thieves stole into their establishments.
Things started to go out of control at around five o’clock, leaving a trail of devastation, monetary losses, and violence, along with claims of rape and people with open cuts.
Nine thugs sexually assaulted Achieng, 22, and took things from her home.
Recounting her ordeal at the hands of the attackers, “they ran to the estates and unleashed terror on us,” she said.
Achieng stated to The Standard that nine guys “broke into my house and demanded that I give them money or they rape me” at approximately 8 o’clock in the evening.
“I was carried out to the staircases by one of them after she had ripped my clothes.” They each raped me once,” Achieng alleged.
“I attempted to yell, but the rioters’ loud clamor overwhelmed my feeble cries. My neighbors heard what was going on, set off an alarm, and called the police, who came to my aid.”
She was transported to the Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital by ambulance after her neighbors asked for help.
“In order to prevent HIV infection, they started me on Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and gave me medications. After being released, I was requested to return today, Wednesday, for additional testing and counseling,” Achieng stated.

One of the males who sexually assaulted her left his pants behind, and the police have just received them.
In order to prevent more suffering, Faith Chemtai and Mary Owano, who rescued Achieng, have requested that the government put an end to the protests.
“What we witnessed last night was violence and looting rather than nonviolent protests. Property was vandalized and shops were plundered. It’s got to end, this kind of insanity,” Chemtai declared.
The Standard’s investigations have shown that at least seven women were subjected to gang rapes at the Somali estates of Jua Kali, Joyland, Maraba, and Kambi, which are all situated outside of Kakamega Town.
Companies were also not exempt. Hooligans burst into the bakery department of Maisha Mart supermarket and stole computers, CCTV cameras, and bread.
We’re still figuring out how much was taken and damaged during the demonstrations. We lost at least Sh6.7 million, according to our first figures,” General Manager of the shop Maurice Anyanje told the reporters yesterday.
After the cops were overcome by the thugs, Anyanje added, they broke inside the bakery, “which we had closed and allowed workers to go home.”
“We had just brought in new stock and after breaking into the bakery, they carried everything away,” claimed Neel Prajapati, a director at the shop. Cooking oil, sugar, wheat flour, and baking equipment were all gone.”
This was not a nonviolent protest; rather, it was a midday theft. “It’s not to invest our hard-earned money in this country and then become paupers in a single day,” Prajapati stated.
On the Kakamega-Webuye Road and near Joyland Estate, some demonstrators erected barricades. In order to enter the town center, drivers had to pay anything from Sh100 to Sh500. The fee for boda boda riders was Sh50.
Goons were once observed robbing the National Oil Petrol station across from Ambwere Plaza, home to the KTN and The Standard headquarters. They threw stones at multiple locations, including the offices of The Standard Group, shattering glass windows.
“We discovered that the governor’s office had a barricade in place. When they begged for money, we handed it to them ($50). “They broke into our car and stole all the water we had purchased for our workplace,” stated Dorcus Wanyama, a Kakamega Town school bursar.
Irungu Macharia, the Western Regional Commissioner, has cautioned the demonstrators against committing acts of hooliganism.
The gang that seemed to have taken over the town for the better part of Tuesday was the subject of demands from the locals for in-depth investigations.
By 6:00 p.m., the demonstrators ought to head home. “Those who are not protestors shouldn’t be allowed to infiltrate and commit crimes,” Macharia stated.