Ten killed in Kenya as protesters clash with police
A further 29 people were injured, the Kenya National Commission added.
Some Kenyans have for weeks been protesting police brutality, poor governance and the high cost of living, while demanding President William Ruto's resignation.
Authorities today blocked major roads leading to the capital, Nairobi, in the strictest measures yet to contain the unrest, which saw protesters light bonfires and throw stones at police.
Officers fired and hurled tear gas canisters, injuring demonstrators. One young man being carried away, with his shirt drenched in blood, said he had been shot.
A reporter for Reuters news agency said they saw one man lying motionless on the road with a bleeding wound after police fired at advancing protesters in the Nairobi suburb of Kangemi.
As well as blocking vehicles from accessing Nairobi's city centre, police also stopped most pedestrians unless they were deemed to have essential duties.
Protests were recorded across 17 of Kenya's 47 counties, the Kenya National Commission said.
In Kenya, 7 July is known as Saba Saba, which is Swahili for Seven Seven.
It's a significant date in Kenya 's history and marks the anniversary of the first major protests 35 years ago.
Those demonstrations called on then-President Daniel arap Moi - Mr Ruto's mentor - for a transition from a one-party state to a multiparty democracy. This change was realised in the 1992 elections.
A professor of history and international relations at United States International University Africa in Nairobi said there is "no reversing the Gen Z Saba Saba-like spirit".
Macharia Munene said: "Attempt to criminalise protests is reactive and will not work.
"It instead makes the government appear retrogressive and desperate enough to subvert the constitution."
Kenya's interior minister Kipchumba Murkomen said on Sunday that the government would not tolerate violent protests and police would be deployed to ensure public safety.
Last month, he told police to "shoot on sight" anyone who approaches police stations during protests, after several were burned.
Kenya's latest wave of demonstrations was sparked by calls for police accountability after the death of a blogger in police custody last month.
A police officer then shot a civilian at close range during a protest on 17 June, further angering the public.
On 25 June, at least 19 people were killed during demonstrations against police brutality that were held to mark the one-year anniversary of anti-tax protests.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
New cost-of-living crisis deepens in California
Published: Updated: A new cost-of-living crisis is deepening across America's progressive capital. In California , soaring climate risk and mounting insurance losses are converging into a property crisis experts warn could slash the value of millions of homes. Deep Sky, a Canadian carbon removal firm, published an analysis of the state's housing insurance market, which painted a dire picture. 'The highest risk areas of California have effectively become uninsurable and will soon become unaffordable,' the study, published in mid-June, concluded. 'Without significant policy intervention, these properties will eventually become worthless.' The warning comes just six months after destructive blazes ripped through Southern California, destroying over 18,000 structures and burning more than 57,000 acres. In January, the Palisades and Eaton fires became two of the most destructive blazes in state history. The impact on the insurance market, which was already under pressure , was immediate. In the first quarter of 2025, insurers posted a $1.1 billion net underwriting loss — a sharp reversal from the $9.4 billion gain they posted the same period a year before. Those numbers have hit some of the most wildfire-prone areas, where premiums have jumped by 42 percent since 2019, and more than 150,000 homes are now uninsured altogether as residents simply cannot afford coverage. But the state has a long way to fall before reaching worthlessness. Right now, the Golden State is America's most expensive housing market. Median home values in California are currently just over $780,000, according to Zillow. That's over $400,000 more than the US average. But, without a robust fire insurance market, policymakers and researchers are warning that the state is resting on shaky grounds. In May, Ricardo Lara, the state's insurance commissioner, approved a 17 percent rate hike for State Farm General, California's largest home insurance provider, to help pay for earlier destruction. 'The market is not going to fail under my leadership,' he told Politico after the decision. 'I have to make these hard decisions, even though it makes me the most unpopular person, and maybe nobody wants this position in the future.' And California is by no means alone. Several other states that are prone to natural disasters have faced mounting home insurance issues. State Farm hiked home insurance rates in Illinois by 27.2 percent this month , adding $746 to the average bill. The insurer insists the hike is unavoidable, claiming it is paying out far more in claims than it collects in premiums in the state which is prone to hailstorms. Florida, which saw a major inflow of residents in 2020, is seeing housing shoppers flee its hurricane-vulnerable coastlines that used to draw million-dollar buyers. In April, contracts to buy homes in the Miami, West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale regions fell dramatically from the year prior. Homes also lingered longer on the market. Pending sales fell 23 percent year-over-year in Miami, according to Redfin, which was the largest drop among the 50 most populous metro areas across the US. Meanwhile, some cash-strapped young homebuyers are skipping insurance altogether out of fear their homes will not pass inspection.
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Mayor weighs into dramatic arrest of driver after footage of cops smashing his window went viral
The mayor of a Florida city where cops were caught on camera smashing a driver's window because he did not have his headlights on has weighed in on the controversy. Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said she understands the public's frustration with the events surrounding William McNeil Jr.'s arrest on February 19 - but urged civility as an investigation into the incident continues. In the dashboard footage, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office officers were seen breaking McNeil's window, punching him in the face, pulling him out of his car, then striking him again as they threw him to the ground to arrest him. 'I understand the angst. I understand the upset, I get all of that,' she said. 'But at the end of the day, let's wait and see where it all goes. Hopefully there's a good resolution,' Deegan told News4Jax. 'I am a very pragmatic thinker when it comes to how these things go, and it's not to diminish whatever happened there, I'm simply saying there has to be an investigative process,' the mayor continued, adding that she has 'faith that that process will be carried out.' 'But I can't really say much beyond that because there is a lawsuit that may happen,' as McNeil has now retained famed civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump and Harry Daniels to represent him after they said his now-viral video sparked 'outrage across the country.' A police report obtained by News4Jax stated that McNeil, 22, was pulled over after an officer allegedly saw his headlights and taillights were off in inclement weather. But when the video begins, McNeil expresses confusion about why he was pulled over with another officer, who is on the passenger side of his car. 'When he pulled me over, he walked up and I opened my door because my window doesn't work, and I said, "What did I do wrong?"' McNeil said. 'He said, "Well, for one, your headlights are off under this weather." I'm like there's multiple people with their headlights off first of all, and then there's no rain.' The officer whom McNeil was talking to replied, 'It doesn't matter. You're still required to have headlights on.' McNeil asked the officer to show him the law that requires that, and the officer told him he would once he stepped out of the vehicle. At that point, the college student asked the officer to call his supervisor - when Officer D. Bowen smashed his window and punched him in the face while shouting at him to exit the vehicle. In the police report, Bowen alleged that he believed McNeil was reaching for a knife under his seat and was 'continuing to pull away from officers' during his arrest. Yet McNeil's video showed that when Bowen broke the window and punched McNeil asked him to show his hands, McNeil complied. It also seemingly refuted Bowen's claim that McNeil was not wearing his seatbelt - as the North Carolina college student could be seen with his buckle across his chest, and Bowen having to unbuckle it himself. Once McNeil was free, he was pulled out of the car and was punched by a second officer, while a group of cops forced him to the ground. An officer then shouted, 'What is wrong with you?' but when McNeil tried to reply that he was putting his hands behind his back, the cops told him to stop talking. At a news conference on Wednesday, McNeil claimed he suffered from a concussion and a tooth fracture that required nine stitches in the aftermath. 'That day I just really wanted to know why I was getting pulled over and why I needed to step out of the car,' he said. 'I didn't do anything wrong. I was really just scared,' McNeil insisted, though he ultimately pleaded guilty to resisting arrest without violence and driving with a suspended license, according to Fox 13. His attorneys are now arguing the violent arrest was the result of racism - noting that McNeil is a black man and the arresting officers were white. 'What happened to William McNeil Jr. is a disturbing reminder that even the most basic rights - like asking why you've been pulled over - can be met with violence for black Americans,' they said in a statement. 'William was calm and compliant. Yet instead of answers, he got his window smashed and was punched in the face, all over a questionable claim about headlights in broad daylight. 'This wasn't law enforcement, it was brutality,' the lawyers continued, urging the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office to release all video from the incident. 'We demand full accountability from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and justice for William McNeil Jr.' Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters has since announced that he has instructed his department to begin both a criminal and administrative review of his officers' actions. 'These administrative reviews are ongoing, but the state attorney's office has determined that none of the involved officers violated criminal law,' he said as he released body camera footage from the incident. It showed McNeil had been repeatedly told to exit his vehicle when officers first pulled him over. He had his car door open at the time - but he later closed it and appeared to keep it locked for about three minutes before the cops forcibly removed him. 'Yes, there was force that was absolutely used by the arresting officers and yes, that force is ugly,' the sheriff acknowledged. 'The reality is that all force, all violence is ugly. Just because force is ugly does not mean it's unlawful or contrary to policy.' Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also defended the officers' actions, as he implied McNeil's video was posted online to advance a 'narrative' and generate attention on social media. 'That's what happens in so many of these things. There's a rush to judgment,' he told The Hill. 'There's... a desire to try to get views and clicks by creating division.' In the meantime, Mayor Deegan said she is asking the public 'to be a little patient' while the investigation continues.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
'My son was in crisis - he needed help, not police restraint'
"My son was unwell. He wasn't under arrest, he hadn't committed a crime," said his father Nathaniel when a police welfare check escalated into Kaine Fletcher being sectioned in the early hours of 3 July 2022, he was handcuffed, struck and restrained for about 30 minutes. The 26-year-old - who had paranoid personality disorder - was eventually taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham where he died hours a four-week inquest into his death at Nottingham Coroner's Court, a jury found "gross failings" by Nottinghamshire Police and others involved with his care contributed to his Ameyaw said the family had been "waiting for answers" about what happened for three years. 'Uncontrolled' combined force Police attended Mr Fletcher's accommodation at the young people's charity YMCA at 01:55 BST, over concerns he would harm himself. After agreeing to be taken to hospital by the officers, Mr Fletcher suddenly changed his mind, no longer believing they were really police. He was then detained under the Mental Health Act. Mr Fletcher was handcuffed, placed in three sets of leg restraints and had a spit hood over his face as he resisted the numerous officers was also hit with police batons and punched in the face during what officers called "distraction tactics" to stop him kicking his legs and biting his own fingers. Mr Fletcher's medical cause of death was recorded as "the physical affects of exertion following a period of restraint, combined with cocaine and other substances".The jury concluded the level of restraint by officers was "appropriate" but found officers' combined force was "uncontrolled". 'Needed help' Speaking to the BBC after the evidence concluded, Mr Ameyaw, said: "I am disgusted, and I am convinced, that had [the police] not done what they did for that length of time, Kaine would still be here now." To him, it looked like his son was being "attacked" in footage recorded by police body-worn Ameyaw added: "My son was unwell, he was floridly unwell. "He wasn't a threat, he hadn't lashed out at anybody, he needed help and at that time, he was in the police's care, and the help he received was what was described as restraint and distraction blows."The Independent Office for Police Conduct concluded no person serving with the police had committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner that justified disciplinary proceedings. 'Resources weren't there' Officers had been called to the home of Mr Fletcher's mother the day before his death, as he was experiencing another "mental health disturbance". It was discussed then that he should be sectioned and taken to a place of safety - a decision his family supported. But under the guidance of a community nurse, Mr Fletcher was taken back to his accommodation with no further intervention. His condition deteriorated overnight and led to the police welfare check that started the chain of events leading to his Ameyaw said the inquest highlighted "failure after failure, after failure". To his close-knit family, Mr Fletcher was a talented young man and a loving father who was always the "life of the party" and "full of beans".But in the weeks before his death, they said they watched his mental health decline while they pleaded for 26-year-old was referred to a local mental health team under Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in February 2022, and discharged in June, having received no treatment. On one occasion, his aunts Kelly and Letitia Fletcher joined Mr Fletcher's father at a mental health hospital where they "begged and pleaded" for him to be admitted. "Even on that day they couldn't accept him and he was told to come back when they had beds available. "It was an ongoing fight for help," Kelly said. Letitia added: "It was really hard. We all tried so hard to get Kaine the help he needed. The resources weren't there." 'Fast-moving medical incident' The inquest heard officers had breached a joint policy between police and East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS )when they did not call an ambulance once Mr Fletcher was and ambulance workers told the inquest they were unaware of the policy. Assistant coroner Alexandra Pountey issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report to both Nottinghamshire Police and EMAS over the "lack of understanding" around the joint policy. Mr Ameyaw said: "What we want to see change is that other people are treated differently when they're in mental health crisis - not with a heavy-handed approach. "Not as if they're a criminal or they've committed an offence or they've drank 10 pints and they're being aggressive - because none of those things happened." Assistant Chief Constable Suk Verma, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "The officers had responded to a challenging and fast-moving medical incident and worked to understand the situation with the information provided by those present and with a primary aim of ensuring the safety of everyone, including Mr Fletcher."Making sure we operate in the safest way possible is of paramount importance to us, so a representative from our force has been present throughout the inquest to carefully listen to the coroner's observations." The force added it would reflect on the findings to ensure it continued to take "all the necessary steps" to keep the public and its workforce Majid, Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire Healthcare said: "We accept the findings of the jury and the coroner and apologise for those aspects of care which were not of the standard they should have been." If you've been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.
