Choking bouts of teargas, water cannons and running battles between police and NASA demonstrators characterized scenes in Kisumu, Nairobi and Mombasa.
The NASA protestors defied an order by government to cease taking their protests in the central business district of the three towns.
Acting Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i on Thursday banned NASA from holding their anti –IEBC demos in the CBD.
However, in a show of defiance, the protestors backed by their leaders hit the streets but police were quite ready to implement Matiang’i’s order.
In Nairobi, anti-riot police lobbed teargas canisters to the demonstrators who were snaking their way to IEBC headquarters at anniversary towers.
But in Kisumu, the protestors engaged police in running battles.
They pelted stones at the police who in turn lobbed teargas canisters at them in a bid to disperse them.
But they later regrouped and lit tyres along the road promoting police to retaliate using water cannons.
In Mombasa, Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir, Mombasa Senator Mohamed Faki and Jomvu MP Badi Twalib together with their supporters were dispersed by police with teargas.
Siaya Senator James Orengo led a contingent of NASA politicians in Nairobi in rebuking use of force by police to disperse the protestors.
Orengo said Matiag’i’s directive was “hot air”.
“We can, for sure, say Kenya is turning into a banana republic. We strongly condemn such moves and assure that our quest for justice shall go on,” said Orengo.