Police Opens Tear-Gas On Protesting Children In Kenyan

Over 100 primary school children stage protest against the sale of their school playground to a property developer. The children attempted to remove an illegally erected gate around their playground [AFP]

Kenyan police have fired tear gas at children protesting against the seizure of their school playground by a property developer. Around 100 primary school children and a small group of activists pushed over a newly built wall that separated playing fields and the school buildings, close to the capital Nairobi's main domestic airport on Monday. Around 40 armed police accompanied by dogs dispersed the protesters by firing tear gas canisters, an AFP news agency photographer at the scene said. Dozens of children were caught in choking clouds of tear gas before being forced to shelter on a pedestrian bridge over the main road to escape the noxious fumes. The children were aged between eight and 13 years old. Mwangi Kuria, a senior police officer at the demonstration told Kenya's local Daily Nation newspaper that officers had been deployed to "safeguard the property", adding that rocks had been thrown at his men. "This is disputed land, but they should not use the children," Kuria was quoted as saying. Two activists were detained by police, Kenyan media said. Macharia Njeru, chairman of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, said the incident would be investigated.