Kenya’s Azimio protests: Hundreds storm farm of ex-President Uhuru Kenyatta

Crowds have reportedly set fire to parts of a farm owned by the family of former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, during another day of fierce opposition protests.

A BBC journalist at the scene in Nairobi’s outskirts saw the invaders stealing sheep, with one man saying he was selling it for $23 (£19).

There were no police in sight and some of the looters were carrying machetes.

Others were felling trees, and many of the people on site had been bussed in.

Many businesses near the farm and in the city centre remained closed. A gas factory linked to opposition leader Raila Odinga has also been vandalised.

The invasion of the farm appears to be in retaliation for protests called by Mr Odinga, who is allied to Mr Kenyatta.

Mr Odinga has told the BBC he bears no responsibility for the distraction of property by protestors, and alleges that the attack was carried out by thugs hired by the government. Kenya’s government has not commented on the allegation.

Post-election violence is nothing new in Kenya. But for the first time Mr Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta – the son of Kenya’s first president and one of the richest men in the country – have had their property targeted and in broad daylight, signalling a big shift.

At least one person has been killed in the protests in the western city of Kisumu, an opposition stronghold, where police fired tear gas at protesters who burnt tyres and barricaded major roads.

Since the protests began last week, at least three people have been killed in the violence.

In Nairobi’s Kibera neighbourhood, where Mr Odinga enjoys huge support, police have fired tear gas at stone-throwing protesters.

Source: bbc.com

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