One dead, several injured in Mai Mahiu sheep protest
Protesting herders block the busy Mai Mahiu-Narok road at Duka Moja, demanding Sh3 million in compensation after more than 30 sheep were hit and killed by a speeding motor vehicle in the area.
One person was killed and nine police officers were injured in the Duka Moja area along the Mai Mahiu-Narok road during a confrontation between police and locals trying to block the highway on Friday evening.
The locals were trying to block the highway to demand compensation for more than 30 sheep that were hit and killed by a speeding vehicle on Thursday night.
Narok County Commissioner Kipkech Lotiatia confirmed the incident but was unable to give the number of civilians injured in the confrontation.
"One protester was killed and nine police officers were injured as a result of the chaos on the highway," Mr Lotiatia said.
"One police officer lost his hand and another was flown to Nairobi for further treatment," he confirmed in a press statement.
Several protesters are believed to have been injured in the confrontation.
He revealed that around midnight on Thursday, sheep were killed in an accident involving a private vehicle in the Duka Moja area along the Narok-Mai Mahiu-Nairobi highway.
The accident sparked protests as locals demanded Sh3 million in compensation for their animals.
Tensions remained high in the area on Friday evening.
He said the incident had been documented by traffic police and the lorry towed to Ntulele police station.
"The residents demanded Sh3 million as compensation for the loss of the animals and blocked the road on Thursday night and tried to block the road again on Friday evening, leading to the chaos," Mr Lotiatia revealed.
The chaos erupted temporarily disrupting transport along the road and as a result, tourists and travellers were attacked and inconvenienced by the demonstrators, who lit bonfires and blocked motor vehicles on both sides of the road from proceeding on their journey.
Mr Lotiatia added: "It is unfortunate that this degenerated into a chaotic situation that led to deaths when it could have been avoided.
He called on the residents of the region to maintain law and order whenever such an incident occurs.
The accident on Thursday night caused a heavy traffic jam along the Mai Mahiu-Narok road for more than three hours.
The speeding vehicle hit and killed the animals as they crossed a section of the road, prompting the protesters to block the road.
Some cows were also injured in the accident, which caused a huge traffic jam for many kilometres on both sides.
Police officers deployed in the area have been engaging the locals since Thursday night.
