A police officer lost both his forearms during the anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests in Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) on Tuesday when a teargas canister exploded on his hands.
According to police, the officer attached to the Administration Police Rapid Deployment Unit(RDU), got injured after he delayed releasing the canister while engaging with protestors.
“As a result his two hands were severely injured frommthr wrist losing both fore arms,” read a police report.
According to police, another colleague who was near him sustained minor injuries on her chest.
Both officers were rushed to Nairobi West Hospital, where the first officer was admitted and taken to the theater for emergency surgery.
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Kenyans organized the ‘Occupy Parliament’ protest, mobilizing on various social media platforms under the hashtag ‘Reject Finance Bill’ to pressure MPs to drop contentious provisions in the Bill.
The activists led by Boniface Mwangi have already issued an elaborate plan for the protest dubbed 'Occupy Parliament' against the Finance Bill 2024.
On Monday, flyers were being distributed in the central business district urging citizens to “rise against over-taxation by Zakayo,” a reference to the moniker Kenyans gave President William Ruto over his tax push since he took office in 2022.
However, Nairobi Region Police Commander Adamson Bungei dismissed any plan to organize protests in Nairobi today, saying no one applied for a gathering or picketing permit as expected.
In a statement on Tuesday, Bungei said they received a 'faulty' document dated June last year, which doesn't meet the protest permission threshold.
Further, he said they have mobilized officers to ensure that any gathering is dispersed instantly in the CBD.
