Kenya: Boy feared dead in opposition protests

By Andrew Wasike and Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI (AA) – Hundreds of youths across the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Friday clashed with police as they demanded the release of Miguna Miguna, a former Kenyan presidential candidate who was arrested for taking part in the unofficial swearing-in of opposition leader Raila Odinga as president.

During the protests in Nairobi, a 14-year old boy was shot by police as they engaged the opposition supporters. He is feared dead.

Kenya’s Standard newspaper reported that ”the young boy was shot after police officers engaged National Super Alliance (NASA) supporters protesting the apprehension of lawyer Miguna Miguna. A woman is also nursing injuries after she was shot in the incident.”

Heavily armed officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations raided Miguna's house Friday morning arresting him but not before heavy gunfire was heard coming from the direction of his home.

Hours after the leader in the opposition was taken to an unknown location for interrogation, youths allied to the opposition in Kenya went to the streets of Nairobi to demand his release, blocking roads with burning tires and boulders.

Kenya’s High Court on Friday ordered for the immediate release of the Kenyan politician Miguna Miguna following his arrest on a cash bail of $500.

Miguna declared himself a self-proclaimed general of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) yesterday daring the police to arrest him.

The NRM is a movement that was declared an organized criminal group by the Kenyan government this week.

Last October, Odinga formed the NRM from his National Super Alliance (NASA) political movement to pressure the government to demand that President Uhuru Kenyatta step aside and to call for a new free, fair and credible election.

Top Kenyan television stations that were shut down by the government for airing Odinga’s swearing-in remained off the air on Friday despite a Kenyan court order on Thursday suspending the shutdown of the three top Kenyan TV stations.

The European Union and the United States on Friday criticized Odinga’s swearing-in ceremony via their ambassadors.

In a statement, the U.S. said it does not recognize and rejects “actions that undermine Kenya’s Constitution and the rule of law.”

An EU statement on the current political atmosphere in Kenya noted that ”Kenya's election year is over, and the challenges laid bare by the electoral process will have to be addressed."