US-based lady recalls being stranded in Kenya during June 2024 finance bill protests

• A US-based lady travelling through Kenya has recalled the terrifying moment she was stranded at a bus station during the June 2024 finance bill protests
• In a viral TikTok video, Lucile described waiting for public transport to JKIA as protesters threw stones at police, leaving her seeking safety at the station
• The video is resurfacing on the second anniversary of the June 25, 2024, protests that left tens of people dead across Kenya

Lucile Odhiambo, a young woman based in the United States, has shared a chilling first-hand account of being stranded in Kenya during the deadly June 2024 finance bill protests, in a TikTok video that is going viral on the second anniversary of the historic demonstrations.

In the clip, Lucile describes waiting at a bus station near Migori town, trying to catch public transport to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), only to realise no vehicles were coming as chaos unfolded around her.

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Lucille stranded as protests erupted

Lucile was travelling through Kenya from Tanzania on her way back to the United States when the demonstrations that swept across the country on 25 June 2024 brought normal life to a standstill.

“Pov: It’s June 2024 in Kenya… you’re waiting on public transportation to the Nairobi airport until you realise no one’s coming and the saxophones keep getting louder,” she wrote in the video caption, referencing the saxophonists who became a symbol of that day’s demonstrations.

In the video, she is seen hiding in broad daylight near what appears to be a town street, as protesters throw stones at police officers metres away from her. The tension and uncertainty in the footage are unmistakable.

The June 25, 2024, protests marked a turning point in Kenyan history, as demonstrators, largely led by the Gen Z generation, stormed Parliament Buildings in Nairobi, with the unrest leaving tens of people dead nationwide.

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Video Goes Viral on Second Anniversary of Protests

For many who lived through or witnessed the June 25 protests, Lucile’s video is a vivid reminder of how a day that changed Kenya’s political landscape was also, for some people, simply a terrifying moment of being in the wrong place at the wrong time with no way home.

The clip has resurfaced on the second anniversary of the protests, striking a nerve with Kenyans and the wider diaspora who remember exactly where they were on that day.

Watch Lucile’s account of being caught in the protests here.

Here is how viewers reacted to her video:

@Njambi25: “Was this during maandamano because it was chaos that day?”

@UnkisDunkis123: “I was in Nairobi 1 month ago”

@-Ruby-: “Girl, we need a storytime because it’s wild you witnessed it in broad daylight. 🫣”

@Nyar Migori: “This was the time when Baba would wake up and announce Tuesday as a public holiday ?”

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Source: NGBREAKINGNEWS