Wajir Governor Mohammed Abdi was on Saturday accused of distributing expired relief food to the poor and hungry residents.
The angry residents staged a protest against their inhuman governor for feeding them with expired relief food even as hunger continues to bite in the poverty-stricken region.
They sensationally claimed the county government led by Abdi was forcing them to consume rice and cooking fat that expired in February 2019.
Wajir county residents reject food donations accusing the county government of donating expired food. Several people injured in the subsequent demonstrations with residents accusing the police of using live bullets on the protestors. Interesting times. @IPOA_KE are you aware? pic.twitter.com/gxmwhwyTg2
— Ahmed Mohamed ((ASMALi)) (@Asmali77) May 12, 2019
The poor residents burnt a truck carrying relief food, barricaded road with large pieces of rocks and burning tyres and even attempted to attack the governor’s vehicle, prompting the police to swing into action.
Besides donation of expired relief food, the residents also accused their governor of being biased in his leadership.
“Yeye ni governor wa watu yote alafu yeye analalia pande moja, sisi tunapinga yeye…analazimisha sisi kukula hiyo chakula, hatutaki!
(He is a governor of all people (in Wajir), but he is taking sides…he is also forcing us to eat that food, we will not!” Abdi Dale, a resident of Wajir, protested as quoted by a local media.
On Sunday morning also gathered the rioters engaged the police in running battles for hours, leaving at least two of them with bullet wounds.
“They (county government officials) brought food then moments later chaos erupted. I came with my bike and saw the fight going on, and when I got closer, a police officer shot me,” Abubakar Ismail, one of the victims, recounted.
A section of local leaders accused the police of using excessive force including firing live bullets to disperse the protesters, allegations the police have since denied.
Wajir, a county in northeastern Kenya, is one of the regions that were hardest hit by food scarcity following a prolonged drought.
The drought situation was serious among the predominantly nomadic Kenyans, some of whom were forced to survive on wild and poisonous fruits collected from scattered shrubs and bushes.
However, a report by the county government condemns the fracas and denied the claims that the food was expired.
“Rowdy youth politicized the donation by the Gvn, attacked poor mothers snatched foods from them burnt & destroyed. Same was donated to 15 other centres & no report of expiry,” stated the report.