Teargas, gunshots as Malala leads protest in Kakamega

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 12 – Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) deputy party leader Cleophas Malala was on Monday tear-gassed at Kakamega Central Police Station as police moved to disperse a group of opposition politicians and activists who had gathered to protest alleged political intimidation in the county.

Police also fired shots into the air as tensions escalated, triggering running battles inside the station and disrupting efforts by the group to present a petition against Governor Fernandes Barasa.

Malala, accompanied by lawyer Ken Echesa and other DCP officials, had gone to the station to demand investigations into allegations that the county government was using gangs to intimidate political opponents.

The confrontation also unfolded amid protests over the arrest of digital creator Anyamah Wa Anyamah, who was detained over alleged cyberbullying and harassment linked to social media content targeting Barasa.

According to reports, the content included an allegedly fabricated or digitally manipulated video depicting the governor in a compromising situation. The allegations surrounding the video have been disputed, with the county government previously describing it as manipulated.

Malala claimed responsibility for the disputed social media posts, questioning why Anyamah had been arrested over content he said he had published himself.

“If you want who posted Barasa, then it is me. It is me who posted. Why are you arresting him?” Malala said, according to reports from the station.

The DCP official accused authorities of targeting political critics and demanded the blogger’s release, arguing that the arrest raised concerns about freedom of expression.

The group subsequently presented a petition to police leadership, accusing the county administration of tolerating political violence and calling for investigations into alleged attacks against government critics.

In the petition, Malala claimed that more than 300 people had been recruited and trained to attack political opponents, torch houses and intimidate residents opposed to the county administration. He presented photographs purporting to show burnt houses and injured people in support of his allegations.

Malala also called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to investigate the alleged attacks and questioned the conduct of police officers in the county, accusing some of failing to act on reported incidents.

Journalists covering the confrontation were also caught up in the chaos, with reports indicating that police confiscated equipment, including a mobile phone belonging to a Citizen TV journalist. The phone was later returned following Malala’s intervention.

The incident adds to growing political tensions in Kakamega as Malala positions himself to challenge Barasa for the governorship in the 2027 General Election.

The two leaders have traded accusations in recent months, with Malala repeatedly alleging that gangs were being used to intimidate his supporters and other critics of the county government.

Barasa, who is seeking to defend his seat, has also initiated legal action over the circulation of the disputed social media material, which his administration has described as defamatory and digitally manipulated.