Almost 500 arrested after Kenya protest violence: Police - Africa
The nationwide protests were initially held to mark a year since massive anti-tax demonstrations, but descended into chaos as young men battled police and destroyed thousands of businesses in Nairobi's business district.
The Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said 19 people were killed and 531 wounded in the looting and violence, which was labelled an "attempted coup" by the interior secretary.
The head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Mohamed Amin said "485 individuals have been arrested in connection to what happened June 25".
He said 448 had been charged in court, with 37 remaining "under active investigation".
Amin said the charges included "murder, terrorism, rape, gang rape, arson, obstruction of police officers while on duty, breaking and stealing, robbery... incitement to violence, handling stolen goods, malicious damage to property, and possession of illegal firearms."
"We received credible reports of assault and sexual violence committed by criminals who had earlier infiltrated the demonstrations," he added.
The KNHCR said Friday it recorded two cases of rape and two cases of gang rape.
Amin said 11 officers were seriously hurt with some sustaining "life-threatening" wounds.
He expressed condolences for those who had lost their lives, but said the initially peaceful demonstrations "quickly devolved into orchestrated violence".
"A well-coordinated network of criminal actors infiltrated and hijacked these demonstrations," Amin said, adding that they came only to cause "chaos, loot, destroy lives and property".
He said officers were "actively pursuing the key planners, the mobilisers, the financiers, and the facilitators behind this scheme, and they will be brought to justice very soon".
A coalition of rights groups said there were rallies in 23 counties across Kenya, with emergency responders reporting multiple instances of gunshot wounds.
The United Nations has deplored the violence, and called for restraint and calm.
Anger over the state of the economy and police brutality has sparked numerous protests since President William Ruto took power in 2022.
Proposed tax rises led to weeks of protests in June and July 2024 in which at least 60 people were killed.
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Egypt Independent
3 days ago
- Egypt Independent
As protesters are hit with terrorism charges, critics accuse Kenya's government of criminalizing dissent
Nairobi, Kenya CNN — One of Kenya's most prominent human rights activists has been released on bail after being charged with unlawful possession of ammunition, as critics accuse authorities of ramping up efforts to stifle dissent in the East African country. Boniface Mwangi was arrested over the weekend 'in connection with the facilitation of terrorist activities' during the June 25 protests, Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) announced on social media on Sunday, drawing immediate outrage among activists. When the 42-year-old award-winning photographer appeared in court on Monday, the terrorism charges had been downgraded to two counts of 'possession of ammunition without a valid firearm certificate' because of teargas canisters and blank rounds allegedly found at his office. His arrest came as activists say more than 100 protesters have been charged with terror-related offenses, arson and money laundering in the past month over demonstrations sparked by widespread dissatisfaction with President William Ruto's administration – especially among the youth whose support propelled him into power. 'I'm known as a human rights defender, not a terrorist,' Mwangi told CNN on Monday evening after he was released on bail. 'I'm so fired up; I'm not scared at all. The only thing that can stop me is a bullet in my head, but as long as I'm alive I'll keep organizing for regime change. The government we have in power is not working for the people.' Mwangi, who has been critical of successive Kenyan governments and describes himself as 'the people's watchman,' saidhe was arrested at home by plainclothes policemen on Saturday and taken to his office in the capital Nairobi. He claimed policemen ransacked the office, confiscating devices and finding two unused teargas canisters and one blank round. Protesters often display the canisters or rounds during demonstrations to journalists as evidence of police brutality and use of excessive force. Video on social media showed Mwangi shout 'Ruto Must Go!' as he was driven away from his office on Saturday. Mwangi denied the charges; a judge freed him on a personal bond and set a hearing date for August 21. Prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi poses for a photo while holding a Kenyan flag inside the dock at Kahawa Law Courts in Kiambu, Kenya, Monday, July 21, 2025. Brian Inganga/AP Crackdown on protest Protests erupted in the country in June after several cases of alleged police brutality, including the death of a teacher while in police custody. During the protests, claims swirled among frustrated demonstrators on social media that government-affiliated politicians had hired people to attack peaceful protesters and damage property to discredit the demonstrations. The Law Society of Kenya, which advises and assists the legal profession, government and public, said the protests had been 'infiltrated by armed, hired goons' in a scathing statement on Monday. 'We strongly condemn this malicious, deliberate re-emergence of radicalized militia sponsored by the political class.' During recent protests, CNN saw groups of men armed with batons marching alongside police and beating up civilians in Nairobi while uniformed officers watched. Businesses were burnt in other parts of the country and a police station attacked. CNN has asked the Kenyan government and police for comment, but has not heard back. President Ruto accused some politicians of misleading youth to riot on Sunday and warned of consequences: 'The police are trained to deal with criminals. They're not trained in parenting. So, if you surrender your children to the police, what do you expect?' The right to protest is protected under Kenya's constitution but authorities have characterized recent demonstrations as chaotic looting sprees. Kenyan prosecutors slapped several youths with arson and terrorism charges following the protests, and judges imposed hefty bail terms even though many claimed their innocence. Rights groups have condemned the use of terrorism charges. 'We are deeply concerned by the continued misuse of the Prevention of Terrorism Act to manage public order,' according to a statement on Monday from the Police Reforms Working Group, a coalition of civil society organizations that monitors policing. 'This practice undermines Kenya's criminal justice system and jeopardizes critical international partnerships aimed at safeguarding national security.' The Kenyan chapter of the International Commission of Jurists on Sunday said it was 'alarmed by the growing pattern of arbitrary arrests and trumped-up charges targeting innocent youth.' In a statement, the human rights group added: 'What began as targeted persecution of young protesters demanding accountability has metastasized into a full-scale assault on Kenya's democracy.' The government has denied any wrongdoing. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecution defended its use of terrorism charges, saying that the protests were 'calculated and coordinated acts of violence' and that the office 'remains committed to executing its constitutional mandate in accordance with the law, public interest, and administration of justice.' 'We wish to reassure the public that all charges have been brought strictly based on available evidence,' it added on Monday. Heavy-handed policing Activists like Mwangi and legal experts say the Kenyan government is criminalizing dissent by using charges such as terrorism, arson and money laundering to stoke fear among protesters. Over the past year, CNN has filmed security forces violently breaking up protests on multiple occasions, shooting at unarmed protesters and assaulting bystanders. At least 38 people were killed and 130 injured in another protest earlier this month, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. President Ruto previously told police officers on July 9 to shoot 'looters and arsonists' in the leg if they considered them a threat, rather than killing them. His Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen went further a week later by issuing a directive for officers to shoot at protesters who approached police stations. The former lecturer of law attempted to walk back the comments after public outcry but did not rescind the directive. On Monday, Murkomen called out those challenging the terror charges, asking: 'If you invade a police station and burn it and steal guns… burn courts… and people's businesses, what is that crime if it is not terrorism?' Mwangi told CNN that Ruto and his government were 'weaponizing the DCI to criminalize dissent, which is allowed by the constitution – but he's going to fail.' 'They want to scare youth (away) from protesting because it will be hard to get work, or even a visa,' he said. 'And if the kids are not scared, they want to scare their parents.'
Daily News Egypt
12-07-2025
- Daily News Egypt
Kenya's Ruto Appoints New Electoral Commission Ahead of 2027 Polls
Kenyan President William Ruto has formally approved the appointment of a new chairperson and six commissioners to lead the country's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), marking a significant step in a nation with a history of contested elections. According to a legal notice issued late Thursday, the new commissioners will serve a six-year term and are scheduled to be sworn in on Friday. The appointments come amid rising public discontent, especially among Kenyan youth, over the soaring cost of living, police violence, and ongoing concerns about corruption. Ruto's administration is under increasing pressure as the country prepares for its next general elections in 2027. The IEBC had operated without leadership since 2023, following the expiry of terms for the former chairperson and two commissioners. The commission's operations were further destabilized after four commissioners were suspended by President Ruto in December 2022 for rejecting the official results of that year's presidential election. That dispute ultimately reached Kenya's Supreme Court, which upheld Ruto's victory and dismissed the commissioners' claims of irregularities in vote tallying. The appointment process for the new commission faced delays due to multiple legal challenges, which were dismissed by the Supreme Court on Thursday, clearing the way for Ruto's final approval. Under Kenya's law, IEBC officials are selected through a public interview process conducted by a special panel, then submitted to the president for formal appointment. The revamped commission is expected to play a pivotal role in rebuilding public trust and ensuring electoral transparency ahead of the next national vote.
Mada
10-07-2025
- Mada
New Education Ministry hiring competition sidelines thousands of part-time teachers
When a new series of hiring competitions were announced by the Education Ministry last month, Amin*, a recently graduated math teacher who gets paid per class at a public school in Beni Suef, was among the teachers who realized their chance at getting a stable contract was fading away. Next to his low-paying teaching job, Amin is among thousands of others who have been studying for their teaching diploma in hopes that it will allow them to apply for the long-awaited hiring competition. But when the competition was finally announced last month, he discovered that one of the eligibility requirements excludes him from the chance of even applying for a stable and full-time teaching job in a government school. Amin will not be able to provide his diploma certificate by the competition deadline since he will still be sitting final exams. 'I finish my exams on July 3 and the competition deadline is on July 5. How will the faculty issue my diploma before the competition deadline?' Amin told Mada Masr, adding, 'I lost my chance at the competition after what I've endured for a whole year; giving classes for LE40, facing serious financial difficulties, all while I have a family to provide for.' Amin is not alone, as many of the tens of thousands of per-class teachers nationwide are faced with similar obstacles and find themselves in situations where they are unable to apply. A long-term freeze on state hiring to meet budgetary restrictions since the pandemic means that the Education Ministry has relied over recent years on teachers who are paid per class. These teachers are employed under temporary contracts by schools to fill the shortfall in permanently contracted staff for primary and secondary education, estimated at a gap of nearly 470,000 teachers. Since per-class teaching was introduced in 2020, more and more teachers began to apply for the per-class roles with their numbers now ranging between 50,000 and 60,000 nationwide. But the precarious working conditions they face, including low wages, uncompensated hours and a general lack of job security mean that many had hoped that the upcoming government hiring competition could bring them more job stability. This is why teachers are angry about the unrealistic eligibility requirements, especially given that the government had portrayed this year's competitions as a way to acknowledge per-class teachers' dedication and experience. When this year's round of per-class teaching competitions was announced in June, math, arabic, science and social studies teachers were the only categories of candidates required, limiting the general eligibility to apply for around 23,000 jobs announced so far. Teachers groups on social media were quickly flooded with panic, anger and demands that the requirements be loosened to give all part-time teachers a chance. Alongside Amin are thousands of per-class teachers who are still studying to receive their teaching diplomas — one of the main eligibility requirements — and will not get the paperwork until after the competition deadline. Amin said that he was one of 1,200 people in Beni Suef alone who filed complaints about the diploma certificate requirement. MP Abdel Moneim Imam intervened on their behalf in late June, submitting a briefing request to the Education Ministry and the head of the Central Agency for Organization and Administration, which is organizing the competition, asking them to reconsider the need for the certificate. Teachers are calling for their proof of enrollment to be accepted instead of the certificate, but the ministry has provided no official response or decision regarding their demands. Per-class teachers of other subjects, such as psychology and philosophy, likewise discovered that they were not eligible for the hiring competitions, since their subjects are now excluded from the competitions due the subjects' removal from the thanawaya amma syllabus in the 2024/25 school year. The humanities teachers have decried their marginalization, after years of service in the schooling system including volunteering. Also excluded from applying are older educators, defined as those above 45 years. Many have spoken out since June arguing that they should be entitled to the full time contracts given their years of hard work and experience in precarious conditions, calling on the education minister to 'return the favour.' In one of their statements, they highlighted that many of them are of the generation that previously fell victim to the 1998 decision that cancelled the system that used to automatically assign public teaching posts to education faculty graduates. Former Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzoury claimed at the time that the state budget could no longer bear the burden of assigning education faculty graduates. The conditions that per-class teachers work in now, nearly 30 years after the decision, represent a sad decline in stability. 'When I started working, we used to get paid LE20 per class. The amount would eventually come to LE14 after deductions,' said Asmaa*, a math teacher who has been working per class for the past four years and who applied for the competition. She added that payments were made per term at the time. 'This year, the situation changed a bit,' she says, adding that 'we received our salaries on a monthly-basis — well, not exactly every month, but roughly — and the pay per class was [increased to] LE50.' 'After deductions and everything,' however, teachers still only 'ended up with LE37.5 per class,' she concluded, The Cabinet approved the wage increase in August last year, a move that the head of the Teachers Syndicate described at the time as the government's way to express appreciation for per-class teachers and their hard work. But Amin says that even after the increase, the amount falls short of covering his family's expenses. 'The salary is very low, I have a family and I am supposed to provide for them with LE40 per class ? it does nothing,' he said. Late payments were also highlighted by the teachers as an issue undermining job stability. 'You can receive April's salary in June. We do eventually get paid, but it gets delayed,' he said, adding that since he cannot only rely on his teaching job to provide for his family, he gives private lessons later in the evenings and occasionally does farm work. Another issue highlighted by the teachers who spoke to Mada Masr was the number of uncompensated classes they give. The number of classes per-class teachers give per week depends on the shortage of teachers in each school, Asmaa explained, adding that in theory, the maximum number of classes allocated by the school to each part-time teacher per week is set at 20 in the schedules. Any extra classes taught are unpaid for by the school. '[But] In reality, you do give more than 20 classes a week. My schedule this school year had 24 classes a week, or 96 classes per month, but you only get compensated for 80 classes per month,' she added. Amin also described giving classes 'on a voluntary basis,' which, although uncompensated financially, are in fact a requirement as per their employment agreement with schools. The precarious working situation of per-class teachers is exacerbated by the fact that they do not get paid during national holidays, unlike their fully employed colleagues in the state education sector. While their salaries are usually estimated at nearly LE3,000 per month, teachers can see them shrink depending on national holidays. 'If there is a national holiday, full-time public school teachers are paid for these days, but this is not the case for us. It is like 'you came on that day, then you get paid for it, but if you did not, then no payment will be made,' Amin explained. Per-class teachers see full-time contracts as the solution for their difficult working conditions. This was also put forward by Kamel Abdallah, treasurer of the Teachers Syndicate in Giza and a private school director. Full-time contracts would also mean better learning for students, Abdallah said, highlighting the crucial role these teachers play in combatting core capacity issues in the education system. Without enough teachers, overcrowded classrooms become chaotic, he explained, and 'students end up not learning a thing.' In what they said would amount to 'compensation' for their years of work amid difficult circumstances, per-class teachers have also calle d on the government over recent years to provide stable contracts directly, and to stop offering them only via the yearly competitions hiring process that the Education Ministry has begun to rely on to bridge the staffing gap at public schools. The recruitment model launched in 2019 gave way to several initiatives in the following years, including one in 2022, aiming to hire 150,000 teachers over the course of five years to fill the teacher gap in kindergarten and primary school grades. Many educators — not only those working per-class — have criticized the hiring scheme in the form of competitions for years and protested their selection criteria, describing the requirements, which include physical fitness tests and interviews at the military academy, as obscure and biased. Abdallah lamented the fact that the most simple solution is not the one the state is opting for at present. 'There are problems coming from every direction, but the solution to this issue is teacher hires. Hire the teacher because officially employing them provides experience and grants proper status,' the syndicate official said.
