Running battles and teargas deployment marked Saturday as crowds assembled for a rally by Democracy for Citizens Party leader Rigathi Gachagua in Kikuyu Constituency.
“More teargas,” a man was heard shouting during the disturbances.
These confrontations came after earlier disruptions along sections of the Southern Bypass and surrounding roads in Kiambu County, where groups blocked highways, set tyre bonfires and positioned trailers across the roadway.
Traffic came to a standstill at Thogoto and Gitaru, impacting commuters traveling to and from Nairobi’s western regions.
Witnesses described severe congestion, with some motorists compelled to reverse course or find alternative routes as feeder roads faced temporary closures.
“Tyres were burning, making the route impassable,” one driver commented.
Security forces were subsequently deployed to restore calm and reopen the impacted highway segments.
The incidents occurred amid growing tensions around the planned rally. In correspondence to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, Gachagua had requested additional security measures, expressing concerns about potential interference.
“The planned thugs aim to cause chaos, destroy businesses, assault specific venues to provoke police into using teargas,” the letter stated.
He also mentioned allegations of a scheme to obstruct major roads into Kikuyu town to limit movement and disrupt the gathering.
According to the correspondence, the purported plan involved positioning large vehicles on main highways under false claims of mechanical failure to hinder movement and interfere with rally arrangements.
Authorities had not officially verified these allegations at the time of the occurrences.
Saturday’s transpired against this context, with police intervening to disperse gatherings and restore normalcy following the earlier road obstructions and traffic disruptions.