At least four people were shot dead after a team from the Kenyan paramilitary police (the GSU) opened fire on a crowd that was on the country’s main highway protesting over attacks on humans by wildlife.
The protesters in Masimba, south-east of Nairobi had on Thursday blocked the main highway connecting the capital to the coastal city of Mombasa for hours.
Local county Governor Joseph Ole Lenku said “communities are getting frustrated by the loss of human lives to wildlife” in the area, which borders a national park.
“The police should desist from using excessive force when trying to maintain law and order in circumstances like today’s… These deaths could have been avoided with a little more understanding,” the governor tweeted.
The Kenya Wildlife Service “must keep their animals away from our people to avoid the losses we have witnessed recently”.
Attacks by wild animals in the area has left several people dead in recent months, local media say.
Makindu Hospital located in the area, confirmed that four people had died from the shooting, adding that six other people had suffered injuries of varying severity.
According to witnesses, a contingent of GSU officers in a truck found themselves in the midst of the chaos as the blockade had caused massive traffic.
They then attempted to force their way through, but the crowd charged, pelting stones at the officers, who responded by opening fire.
Mashuru Sub County Police boss Charles Chepkong’a confirmed the incident, stating that an investigation has been launched.
The road is crucial for East Africa’s economy as it links the port of Mombasa to landlocked countries, such as Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda.
