A Kenyan teenager was killed during a protest against a US-backed Ebola treatment center project, relatives of the victim said, while conflicting accounts circulate about the circumstances of his death.
The victim, identified as 17-year-old Sylvester Muigai according to his grandmother, was reportedly shot during a police operation to disperse protesters opposed to the creation of a quarantine center on a Kenyan airbase.
This project involves the construction of a 50-bed facility to accommodate American patients as part of an Ebola-related healthcare program. It has sparked local tensions, with some residents and protesters expressing their opposition to what they perceive as an externally imposed measure.
According to the young man's grandmother, the police told her that her grandson had been killed by a tear gas grenade. However, several witnesses present at the scene, as well as organizers of the demonstration, claim that he was shot.
The young man was not initially participating in the demonstration, according to his family. He was on his way to buy a school uniform when he was allegedly caught up in the unrest during the police intervention.
The exact circumstances of his death have not yet been independently established, and the authorities have not provided a detailed account of the events at this stage. The incident is fueling a heated controversy in Kenya surrounding the handling of protests and the US-backed health center project.
As tensions persist, calls for an independent investigation are multiplying to determine precisely the circumstances in which the teenager lost his life.
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