Two days ago, I saw a video of an innocent man making his way home after an interview to work as an Uber taxi driver get violently assaulted by riot police. Officers were seen viciously beating and kicking him, after he had fallen to the ground, was unresponsive, with his head slumped against a curb. The man - who appeared to have been trying to escape before being grounded, was later reported to have died.
I also read that 33 students were expelled from the University of Nairobi for leading violent protests that led to the indefinite closure of the institution.
That's when I read that demonstrators had gathered outside the offices of Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, demanding its dissolution. Some threw stones at police, and the protesters were chased by officers wielding clubs as tear gas was fired.
I was terrified to hear about this, as this rings close to home for those who live at the refugee camp I worked at. This violence (and root cause) is exactly what forced people out of their homes, leaving them traumatized and displaced. I've since connected with my dear Kenyan friends, who have confirmed that the riots have stopped.
The British Government has been supporting the Kenyan Police Force to promote reform, strengthen accountability and improve compliance with international human rights standards. The Head of the Kenyan Police has ordered an investigation into whether the police broke the law in the way they treated protesters during the opposition demonstration 5/16/16.
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I wanted to leave you with something I found, shared by a Kenyan writer named Emmanuel Yegon: "Our political affiliations shouldn’t divide us. It doesn’t change the fact that we are Kenyans. We should appreciate and unite in our diversity. And let Kenya be what we want it to be. There is life beyond #IEBCMustGo. Kenya is greater than CORD and Jubilee. It’s time we awoke from our slumber. And learnt to live together as brothers."