Hell broke loose as several people were injured when rowdy youth behind the theft of pineapple within Delmonte Kenya Limited plantations crashed with the police. The rowdy youth in revenge blocked the busy Nyeri -Nairobi highway at Makeji area as they protested against the police shooting and injuring three youths.
Motorists plying along the road were forced to use alternative routes, as the bullets rented the air as the youth pelted the police with stones.
As the chaos broke the community in Makeji area demonstrated against the police action as two women were shot and seriously wounded in the melee. The injured were rushed to Thika level five hospital after Makeji dispensary remained a no-go zone.
The dispensary was destroyed as its windowpanes were damaged as the police moved in to battle with the rowdy youth. A nurse at the facility was forced to close the facility to protect expectant mothers from injuries. Murang’a police commander David Kainga described the incident as unfonate, saying it’s suspected that hundreds of the youth had travelled from far and wide to steal the pineapples.
He said four police officers and two G4S guards suffered injuries, as they moved to restore law and order. “The police have a duty to protect lives and property warning the youth against invading private property,” said Kainga. Peter Kamande, a youth, blamed the police action saying the youth are only looking for opportunities through stealing pineapples.
“We have commercialized the theft of pineapples and police action was brutal; they could have arrested the suspects,”said Kamande. As calm was restored the police mounted several roadblocks around makeji area to contain the youth from causing further chaos.
A community leader Clement Kamau, a member of KAGAMA, said the incident was unfortunate and thus need for a lasting solution. “We need to have a forum to help come up with a strategy to help end the pineapple theft menace through positively engaging the youth. Early this year Delmonte was forced to sack its guards and engage G4S guards to guard the plantations in efforts to deal with pineapple theft.