Chaos in Kakamega: Gen Z Protests Disrupted by Looting and Sexual Assault

The streets of Kakamega were engulfed in chaos as the sun set on Tuesday, July 16. The day, marked by Gen Z protests demanding accountability and good governance, had devolved into a nightmare of looting and destruction. Shops were ransacked, goods were scattered across the pavement, and the air was thick with terror.

Amidst this pandemonium, the cries for help and frantic footsteps of people fleeing in panic echoed through the Jua Kali Estate on the outskirts of Kakamega town, where a young woman’s life, full of dreams, turned into a nightmare.

Twenty-two-year-old Lilian Awino, who had recently moved from Kisumu to Kakamega, found herself facing an unimaginable threat. Awino had only been in Kakamega for a few days, adjusting to her new life.

Initially, the protests had been peaceful—a collective voice against economic hardship, bad governance, and the demand for accountability. But on this fateful Tuesday, the protests took a sinister turn. Gangs of goons, armed with pangas and rungus, infiltrated the demonstrations, turning them into scenes of looting, robbery, violence, and rape.

For the past four weeks, youths in Kenya, particularly Gen Z, had taken to the streets to protest against bad governance and demand accountability from political leaders. Awino, being one of the Gen Z supporters of the ongoing demonstrations, did not know that her life would turn into a nightmare that day.

At 8 p.m., Awino was standing in her Jua Kali Estate, outside her house, witnessing from afar what was happening in town. The shouts of the goons and the cries of victims filled the air, creating a terrifying symphony of chaos. Suddenly, her estate gate was opened, and within minutes, a group of nine men stormed in, brandishing rungus and pangas; some even had knives.

Her heart pounded as they closed in, her mind racing for an escape that wasn’t there. Her face filled with pleading, she started moving towards her house. “All I could think was how I was going to escape. I pleaded with them not to kill me, so I was ready to give in to their demands,” Awino recalls in a husky, trembling voice.

Trapped and terrified, Awino felt the harsh grip of one of the attackers. She was thrown to the ground on the staircases leading to her house. Desperation filled her eyes as she pleaded for mercy, but the goons, fueled by the chaos around them, showed none. What followed was a nightmare of pain and fear, each moment stretching into eternity. They took turns raping Awino, and as if that were not enough, they stole items from her house.

“One of them strangled me, closed my eyes, with a terrifying look on their faces; another one tore my clothes and carried me to the staircases. They took turns raping me. I tried to scream and call for help, but one of them was choking me, showing me a well-sharpened knife with a threat that if I made any noise, they would kill me. Even so, my voice could not be heard as it would be drowned in the noise they were making,” said Awino, with eyes full of tears.

“My neighbors, who were peeping from the window, witnessed what was happening, raised an alarm, and alerted the police who came to my rescue. Apart from raping me, they went away with my money, my clothes, and my phone since they asked for my door number and searched my whole house. One of the goons even left his trousers in my house, which I handed over to the police,” she narrated.

Her neighbors, who witnessed the horrifying scene, called for an ambulance. Bruised and traumatized, they took her to Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital for treatment and proper check-up.

“All thanks to my neighbors who called an ambulance to the hospital. In the hospital, they gave me painkillers and HIV/AIDS infection prevention medication (Pre-exposure prophylaxis). Since many department heads dealing with Sexual Gender-Based Violence don’t work at night, and it was around 11 p.m. when we arrived at the hospital, I was discharged and requested to return the following day (Wednesday) for further examinations and counseling,” said Awino.

Mary Owano and other neighbors who came to Awino's rescue condemned the incident, saying that protests should end since they are no longer peaceful.

“We ask the government to put an end to the protests and listen to the demands of Gen Z to prevent further damage and threats to human life. Protests are no longer peaceful as goons have found a way of using protests to conduct their evil tasks. Violence and looting have taken over the peaceful demonstrations,” said Owano.

“Apart from rape, shops were looted, and people’s goods and properties were destroyed. Many mama mbogas and fruit vendors are facing losses because their goods were destroyed. This kind of scene has to stop,” she added.

According to investigations by one of the media houses in Kakamega County, it was revealed that at least seven women were gang-raped in Jua Kali, Joyland, Maraba, and Kambi Somali estates on the outskirts of Kakamega County.

Amidst the destruction, small business owners and fruit vendors watched in despair as their spoiled fruits were thrown all over the town, and even their carts used for selling the fruits were burnt.

“When they came with the rungus and pangas, they took our fruits and threw them carelessly, cutting them into pieces. When they were done spoiling my fruits, they burnt my cart that I use to sell the fruits. As of now, I don’t know where I am going to start from since I take my fruits on loans. When I even tried to hold on to my fruits, I was told to let go or I would get killed. No one was there to defend us,” said one woman, a fruit vendor.

“I would have been at peace if they had taken my fruits and eaten them instead of cutting them into pieces and throwing them on the road for people and vehicles to step on,” said another woman in disappointment.

They called upon the Kakamega County governor to hold a dialogue with Gen Z to end the situation that is being witnessed.