Homa Bay Town erupted in protests Thursday, June 27, resulting in 11 individuals suffering gunshot wounds and being rushed to Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital.

According to Roselyn Omollo, the County Executive Committee Member for Health, most of the injured were bystanders, not protestors, caught in the chaos while going about their daily activities.

Omollo criticized the police for using live ammunition, urging them to use non-lethal means to disperse crowds instead.

“So far we have received 8 patients, six of them are gunshot wounds. There are two who said they were pushed and a motorbike ran over them. There is a woman who was just going about her business and the next thing she saw a commotion, then she fell down and felt a numbing pain on her right leg,” Omollo said. “The most unfortunate thing is there was a motorbike that ran over her on the other leg. She is waiting to go to theatre. We have 3 men who have gone to theatre already, and one who is waiting. There other two were not very serious.”

The protests, which began in the morning, saw police in a tense standoff with protesting youth, who were throwing stones.

Police responded with teargas and gunfire to repel the demonstrators from the town’s central business district.

The unrest led to significant disruption, with businesses closing down due to fears of looting. The youth also blocked roads, bringing transport services in the area to a standstill.