A medical camp set up near Jamia Mosque to assist injured protesters was hit by tear gas on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, forcing emergency responders to flee the scene in distress.
The incident unfolded as tensions escalated during the ongoing anti-government demonstrations in Nairobi, further fuelling outrage among demonstrators.
The camp, which had been positioned strategically to offer first aid to injured civilians near the heart of the protests, became the target of a teargas attack just moments after crowds swelled in the area.
A video shared by a local TV station on Instagram showed scenes of confusion as medics dropped their supplies and sprinted away, choking from the thick clouds of smoke that swept through the tented area.
The volunteers, some of whom had been treating minor injuries from earlier confrontations, were seen stumbling as canisters landed nearby, cutting short their efforts to stabilise affected protesters.
Protesters who had sought medical help were also caught in the chaos, with several being assisted to safety by fellow demonstrators.
A medic who was clad in a green uniform was seen raising his hands in disapproval, visibly stunned as to why, of all places, the police had chosen to target the medical response camp.
A section of citizens who were around the area were heard jeering and urging others to redirect the tear gas canisters by kicking them towards a nearby tree to prevent the choking fumes from engulfing the injured.
“Gonga hiyo iende kwa mti, gonga itoke hapa,” a man was heard shouting as thick white smoke billowed from two canisters that had been hurled just metres away from where they stood.
The teargas incident is one among several that have characterised the protests, which were initially intended to be peaceful commemorations for Kenyans who lost their lives in the clamour for better governance, particularly during the June 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations.
Police also deployed tear gas in other locations, including the vicinity of Nation House, where former Chief Justice David Maraga had just arrived and was receiving overwhelming attention from hundreds of enthusiastic Kenyans.
Police officers lobbed teargas into the heart of the crowd, prompting Maraga and his team to be hastily escorted away as the gathering erupted in chants and panic, with others seen scrambling for safety.
Maraga fled into Nation Centre and was pictured being shielded with a face mask handed to him by a protester in a bid to protect him from the effects of the suffocating gas.
