08-07-2025
Hospitals in Kenyan capital, nearby town vandalised during protests
At least two hospitals in Kenya sustained damage during protests to mark the 35th anniversary of pro-democracy rallies, witnesses and hospital officials said on Tuesday, a day after the demonstrations left 11 people dead, according to the police.
Tensions have been running high in the East African nation since the death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody last month brought people back onto the streets, a year after anti-government protesters stormed parliament.
In the first incident in the town of Kitengela, 34km south of Nairobi, more than 100 unidentified attackers armed with clubs forced their way into a hospital to demand treatment for their colleagues, a nurse said.
"We had patients even in the emergency and consultation room. Some had been sent to the lab. We closed the maternity with a door grille because they wanted to go in," Lilian Nyakhurenya told Reuters.
"The maternity was full and it is always full. We were many in the shift and we ran away, and some of us had to wear the patient's uniforms."
