KISUMU, Kenya Apr 7 \u2013 Tension gripped Ramula Trading Centre in Gem Yala Sub-county on Tuesday as a heavy police deployment brought activity to a standstill following deadly anti-mining protests.<\/p>\n
Security officers drawn from the regular police and the General Service Unit were stationed across the trading centre, with patrol vehicles mounted at key entry points, effectively sealing off the area.<\/p>\n
Businesses remained closed while residents stayed indoors, with the usually busy centre appearing deserted under the heightened security presence.<\/p>\n
The operation follows violent clashes on Monday between police and protesters opposing mining activities in the region, which left two people dead and dozens injured.<\/p>\n
According to police, a group of demonstrators stormed Ramula Police Post, vandalizing property and setting a tractor on fire during the chaos.<\/p>\n
Authorities said at least 47 police officers were injured in the confrontation, some sustaining serious wounds and currently undergoing treatment in hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were overwhelmed by a large group of violent protesters who attacked the station and destroyed government property,\u201d a police officer familiar with the incident said. \u201cSeveral officers were injured and required urgent medical attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police responded by opening fire on the crowd, killing two demonstrators on the spot\u2014a move that has sparked concern among residents and local leaders over the use of live ammunition.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is unfortunate that lives were lost,\u201d said a local resident, John Otieno. \u201cWhile there are genuine concerns about mining, the situation has now escalated beyond control.\u201d<\/p>\n
By Tuesday morning, movement in and out of the trading centre remained restricted, with key facilities such as Ramula Health Centre inaccessible as security operations continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot even access medical services,\u201d another resident said. \u201cThe entire area feels locked down.\u201d<\/p>\n
The unrest also spilled into the night, with unknown individuals reportedly torching at least five homes belonging to residents perceived to support the mining activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey came at night and burned houses. People are now living in fear,\u201d Otieno added.<\/p>\n
Authorities have confirmed the incidents and vowed to maintain a strong security presence until calm is restored.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have reinforced our deployment to ensure stability and prevent further destruction,\u201d a senior security official said. \u201cNormalcy will only return once the situation is fully under control.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Akala\u2013Ramula\u2013Luanda Road remains closed, effectively cutting off the area as investigations and security operations continue.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KISUMU, Kenya Apr 7 \u2013 Tension gripped Ramula Trading Centre in Gem Yala Sub-county on Tuesday as a heavy police deployment brought activity to a standstill following deadly anti-mining protests. Security officers drawn from the regular police and the General Service Unit were stationed across the trading centre, with patrol vehicles mounted at key entry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136864\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}