Several people were yesterday injured in Kisumu as police engaged demonstrators in running battles along the streets.

At least 20 people were injured, among them a policeman, who was stoned as rowdy youths engaged police in a stone throwing match.

Riot police wielding batons charged at the crowds, forcing businesses along Oginga Odinga Street and Jomo Kenyatta highway to close.

A contingent of about 150 ant-riot police led by Officer Commanding Kisumu Police Division, Stanley Kilonzi, patrolled the streets and kept the rowdy mob at bay.

Defiant demonstrators, undeterred by the heavily armed police, broke past the cordon and reached Provincial Commissioner Noor Hassan Noor’s office, where they demanded to present a memorandum to be delivered to the President.

The PC was not in and the memorandum was handed to the OCPD after a 30-minute heated exchange.

Trouble started shortly after 11am as youths waving twigs and pro-Bomas Draft placards gathered in Kondele shopping centre before proceeding to Kenyatta Sports Ground.

The demonstrators, who barricaded the way by lying prostrate on the roads, protested against Parliament’s passing of a mutilated Bomas Draft.

Chaos reigned as over 1,000 protestors marched along Oginga Odinga Street, waving twigs, placards and chanting anti-government slogans bringing traffic in the town to a standstill.

Six councillors including lawyer Olago Aluoch led the procession. Olago said they were tired of the Government shifting goalposts on the draft yet over Sh4 billion had been spent on the process.

In Nakuru, a group advocating for the Bomas Draft was dispersed when they converged for a demonstration.

Seven of the National Convention Executive Council-affiliated groups had assembled at Nyayo Gardens to prepare the demo when police arrived.

Their colleagues, who were heading to the venue, took off when they saw the lorry load of armed anti-riot police patrolling the field.

The group inside the park fizzled out and issued a press statement criticising amendments to the Bomas Draft.

Rift Valley LDP regional co-ordinator Charles Dickens Ojwang’, said they would not hold a demonstration.

He said they would meet spontaneously along the streets to discuss the fate of the review and asked police not to interfere with them.

Separately, LDP Nyanza regional co-ordinator Odungi Randa yesterday took issue with three Cabinet ministers’ reference to Raila Odinga as an undemocratic loser.

Randa was reacting to yesterday’s press reports in which Musikari Kombo, Amos Kimunya and Newton Kulundu criticised Raila and Uhuru Kenyatta’s failure to attend the Kilifi retreat.

He urged Kenyans to support the Bomas Draft.