Armed Goons Assault Nurses Protesting in Siaya

Siaya town descended into chaos when a peaceful protest by nurses escalated into violence as a group of armed assailants attacked the demonstrators outside the governor’s office.

  The nurses, who had been chanting and picketing since midmorning, sought an audience with Governor James Orengo or his representative to address grievances such as delayed salaries, non-remittance of statutory deductions, and critical staff shortages in health facilities. For approximately three hours, the protest remained predominantly peaceful, with nurses blowing whistles, chanting slogans, and displaying placards outside the county headquarters. However, tranquility was abruptly shattered when a group of men entered the compound, soon emerging with long wooden clubs, commonly referred to as rungus. In the presence of police officers who had been monitoring the area and some of whom were escorting the protesters, the armed men launched an assault on the nurses, striking them indiscriminately. Witnesses described the ensuing scene as unprecedented, as the assailants began to beat the protesters while police officers stood idly by. Amid the chaos, two gunshots were reportedly fired into the air by the police in an attempt to disperse the crowd. The road leading to the county headquarters briefly resembled a war zone, with frightened nurses fleeing in various directions. Some clutched their phones, whistles, and vuvuzelas in an effort to document the attack, but the overwhelming force of the armed group resulted in numerous injuries. Several nurses suffered bruises and cuts, while one female nurse was severely beaten and had to be carried away by her colleagues before being rushed to the nearby Siaya County Referral Hospital. In a statement to journalists following the incident, Dennis Omollo, chairman of the Kenya Union of Nurses and Midwives Siaya branch, condemned the attack and held the county administration accountable for permitting violence against health workers.