FRIDAY, 3.00PM
KENYAN police fired shots in the air four times on Thursday to disperse youths armed with whips and knives who were fighting outside parliament and attacking MPs.
In the parliamentary chamber, opposition members accused Nairobi MP Fred Gumo, a member of the ruling Kenya African National Union (Kanu), of organising the “thugs” to beat people calling for political reforms before elections expected near the end of this year.
One MP was expelled when he refused to retract after calling Gumo “a thief,” and members almost came to blows, according to Kenyan press reports on Friday.
The youths damaged several cars, including at least one belonging to an opposition MP. Some of the youths said they are members of a group known as Jeshi la Mzee (the old man’s army), believed to be homeless teenagers and young men loyal to President Daniel arap Moi. They clashed with another group of youths who arrived to chase them into nearby Uhuru Park, the East African Standard reported.
The violence came after talks on political reforms stalled. Moi last week met 17 Christian and Islamic leaders, and also with parliamentary opposition leader Michael Kijana Wamalwa, to discuss ways of facilitating dialogue between the government and pro-reform groups. But on Wednesday Kanu said it will not negotiate with “non-elected representatives”, and Moi did not turn up for a meeting on Wednesday with a wide range of reform leaders.
Political violence peaked on July 7, when riot police opened fire on unlicensed but initially peaceful rallies, with 13 killed and hundreds injured in the ensuing running battles between demonstrators and police.