A mother in Kenya has discovered the body of her missing son, two days after violent protests broke out over an enforced Ebola quarantine in the coastal town of Mombasa. The boy, identified as 14-year-old James Ochieng, had been missing since the protests, in which security forces clashed with residents who challenged the quarantine's legality. The mother, Martha Ochieng, found her son's body in a ditch near the protest site, his skull fractured.
'They killed my son,' she told me, weeping. 'He was just a child. I want the British government to send doctors, investigators.
The Kenyan authorities cannot be trusted.' The protest erupted after the Kenyan government imposed a quarantine on the neighbourhood of Likoni, following a suspected Ebola case. But residents, citing heavy-handed tactics and lack of transparency, took to the streets.
Sources within the Mombasa county health department confirm that at least three other people have died during the protests, but official figures remain unverified. Martha Ochieng believes her son was killed by police. The Kenyan police have denied any involvement, claiming the boy may have been caught in crossfire between rival protest factions.
Meanwhile, Britain's Foreign Office has issued a travel advisory, urging citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the region. But critics argue that the UK must do more, given its historical ties and current aid commitments to Kenya. 'We are paying for a health system that cannot protect our children,' said Martha.
'British doctors must come here, now.' The British High Commission in Nairobi has stated that it is 'monitoring the situation' but has not offered direct medical assistance. As the sun sets over Mombasa, the stench of tear gas still lingers.
And a mother's cry for help fades into the night.
