Siaya County: Two people were shot dead after a tense Ramula Police Post protest in Gem Constituency turned violent. The victims were part of a group of demonstrators who had stormed the police post, defying orders from officers to disperse. The group, reportedly from Mwibona area in neighbouring Vihiga County, was protesting against a gold mining firm licensed to operate in the area and parts of Siaya County.
Ramula Police Post protest turns deadly
The demonstrators had earlier paralysed transport along the Ramula–Luanda Road after blocking it with stones and debris. They later advanced towards Ramula market and briefly stopped outside the police post before forcefully entering the compound. In the chaos, they hurled stones at officers, shattered windows, and set a tractor on fire. Police attempts to calm the situation failed as the crowd continued to attack officers with crude weapons.
Officers fired warning shots in the air in a bid to disperse the crowd, but the situation escalated, leading to the fatal shooting of two youths. The rest of the demonstrators fled in different directions. Gem MP Elisha Odhiambo condemned the violence and urged residents to follow legal channels in addressing disputes with the mining investor.
