Riot police teargassed street children who had dumped the body of one of their own outside the gate to Governor Jackson Mandago’s office on Sunday evening in Eldoret town.
The children said the boy, 15, was killed by county askaris over claims a woman was raped by street boys two days ago.
Riot police intervened when the street children started wailing and pelting Mandago’s office with stones.
They teargassed the youth and engaged them in running battles.
The more than 100 street children had carried the body round the town before dumping it at Mandago’s gate.
A hawker was injured in the riot.
HARASSING OUTSIDERS
“We are investigating,” Uasin Gishu county police commander Nyagah Muchunguh said.
Paul Oturi, one of the protesters, said the county askaris raided their area of operation near Sosiani River and beat them senseless.
“They beat up the young boy until he died and then dumped the body in the river,” he said.
Oturi said they are harassed and beaten daily by the county askaris.
He said the security men target them because they are not from the region.
However, police said the deceased drowned.
Residents have complained about the county askaris’ brutality.
The officers were deployed in the county recently after completing training at the Prisons College in Nairobi.
Governor Mandago was away and has not commented on the riots.
