
Saba Saba protests: Central Nairobi sealed off ahead of Kenyan protests
In a statement issued on Sunday evening, the police said it was their constitutional duty to protect lives and property while maintaining public order.Monday's protests, dubbed Saba Saba (Swahili for 7 July), commemorate the 1990s struggle for multiparty democracy in Kenya.These demonstrations have been organised primarily by young people, demanding good governance, greater accountability, and justice for victims of police brutality. They are the latest in a wave of anti-government protests that began last year.Recent demonstrations have turned violent, with reports of infiltration by "goons", who are accused of looting and attacking protesters. Civil society groups allege collusion between these groups and the police - accusations the police have strongly denied.On Sunday, an armed gang attacked the headquarters of a human rights NGO in Nairobi. The Kenya Human Rights Commission had been hosting a press conference organised by women calling for an end to state violence ahead of Monday's protests.This year marks the 35th anniversary of the original Saba Saba protests - a key moment that helped usher in multiparty democracy in Kenya after years of one-party rule.
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The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
As US abruptly ends support, Liberia faces empty health clinics and unplanned pregnancies
Five months ago, Roseline Phay, a 32-year-old farmer from the West African nation of Liberia, set off on a quest to find contraceptives. Phay and her partner have two daughters, and they barely make ends meet. Determined not to have more children, she went to a health worker in her village, but contraception pills, implants and condoms had run out. Phay trekked for hours on red clay roads to the nearest clinic, but they had no contraceptives either. She did not know it, but her mission was doomed from the beginning. Just weeks before, U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly suspended most foreign aid through the U.S. Agency for International Development, which paid for medications in Liberia's public clinics. Tenacious and outspoken, Phay repeated the trip four times. Then she got pregnant. 'I'm suffering,' she said, with daughter Pauline crying in her arms. 'I have this little child on my back, and the other child in my stomach is suffering." She must continue farming throughout her pregnancy, she said, or "I will not eat.' After she got pregnant she had to wean Pauline off breastfeeding, she said, and the girl became so badly malnourished that she almost died. The U.S. cuts left no therapeutic food to give her, and she is still ill. Phay is among millions across Africa who have seen their lives upended after the U.S. aid cuts. In Liberia, the American support made up almost 2.6% of the gross national income, the highest percentage anywhere in the world, according to the Center for Global Development. 'The impact of USAID in Liberia cannot be overstated,' said Richlue O. Burphy, who worked for USAID projects for over a decade and manages the National Lottery, a government body. 'Everywhere you go, you see the USAID (signs). And almost all the government institutions ... had some kind of USAID partnership.' A feeling of betrayal The sense of betrayal runs deep in Liberia, established in the early 1800s with the aim of relocating freed slaves and free-born Black people from the United States. The political system is modeled on that of the U.S., along with its flag. Liberians often refer to the U.S. as their 'big brother.' Liberia was one of the first countries to receive USAID support, starting in 1961. Its officials thought they would be spared from Trump's cuts because of the countries' close relationship. Following civil wars and an Ebola epidemic, Liberia's survival has depended largely on foreign aid, mainly from the U.S. and the World Bank. Despite abundant natural wealth, six out of 10 Liberians live in poverty, according to the World Bank, and Liberia is among the world's 10 poorest nations. The aid cuts pose 'a serious challenge,' especially for the healthcare system, Deputy Finance Minister Dehpue Y. Zuo, responsible for drafting the development budget, told The Associated Press. To make sure the system stays afloat, he said, "we have to take a dramatic switch to see where we will be cutting funding for other areas.' Liberia received an average of $527.6 million in aid annually between 2014 and 2023, according to the finance ministry. This year, Liberia was supposed to receive $443 million, but the total estimated impact of the cuts is $290 million — essentially what hadn't been disbursed yet. USAID funding built schools and health clinics, provided training for teachers and doctors and gave scholarships for study in the U.S. It supported small-scale farmers and paid for school meals. But most of the U.S. funding went to Liberia's health system, making up 48% of its budget. It funded malaria control, maternal health programs, HIV/AIDS treatment and community health programs. It financed hundreds of health projects run by aid groups. Now in Bong county, where Phay lives, medicine shelves in health clinics are almost empty. The USAID-funded ambulance cannot function because there is no money for fuel. Hospitals are running out of hand sanitizer and gloves. Training for medical staff has stopped, and community health workers have not been paid in months. An opening for China Moses K. Banyan, head of the nearby CB Dunbar Hospital, described the U.S. cuts as 'beyond a shock.' He worried about the future, especially now that Bong county has begun to see a handful of mpox cases spread from neighboring Sierra Leone. Warning of the cuts could have helped in finding options, he said. 'But it's like you were sleeping, you woke up and you were told: 'Hey, leave this house.'' The withdrawal of U.S. support is an opportunity for others, especially China, experts and officials said. Chinese companies have been operating Liberia's gold mines, building roads and training aid workers. Chinese beer is sold alongside local brands. Many Liberians who would have sent children to universities in the U.S. are now choosing China. Last month, China opened a cardiology wing in the capital's main hospital, which is named after John F. Kennedy but was commonly referred to as 'Just For Killing' because of its scarce resources, even before the U.S. cuts. 'There are gaps to be filled, and that cannot be covered by the government of Liberia,' said Zuo, the deputy finance minister. 'We are open door to the rest of the world, including the United States.' In Phay's village of Sarworlor, community health worker Alice Togbah still wears her USAID vest though she hasn't been paid in months. She has no more malaria medication for children. She is running out of cough medicine and diarrhea treatment. A 4-year-old resident, Promise, got malaria a few days ago. Her mother, Grace Morris, obtained only a limited number of malaria tablets at the nearest clinic because of the U.S. cuts. Now they are finished, and the child still feels ill. 'Children die from malaria here,' she said. Last year, her neighbor's son died because he did not get medication on time. Morris and other women also seek contraceptives. Liberia in recent years made strides in bringing down teenage pregnancy rates and maternal mortality rates. For women in traditional, conservative communities, access to contraceptives meant reclaiming some control over their lives. 'If ... my man touches me, I cannot say no because I need to satisfy him,' Phay said. 'But if I have no medicine, I will get pregnant.' Her 9-year-old daughter, also named Promise, is living in the capital, Monrovia, with her aunt. Phay wants her to finish school and have a different life from hers. 'I am begging, if you people have the medicine, you people need to help us," she said. 'I don't want her to suffer like me." ___ For more on Africa and development: The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at


Times
8 hours ago
- Times
South Africa police minister accused of colluding with assassin gangs
South Africa's police minister has been accused by a senior police official of colluding with organised crime gangs and hampering an investigation into political assassinations. The claims made against Senzo Mchunu were 'a matter of grave national security concern' that would get urgent attention, President Ramaphosa said. The allegations emerged in a televised press conference called by Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, a provincial police chief, who alleged that Mchunu received payments from a corruption suspect and, with senior colleagues, had seized files on political killings and frozen inquiries that implicated powerful figures. President Ramaphosa said the accusations were a 'grave national security concern' ERALDO PERES/AP Flanked by armed security forces, some with their faces masked, Mkhwanazi said he had launched an investigation into the police minister and would 'fight to the end' in what he described as a 'war' with alleged corrupt elements.


South Wales Guardian
11 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Kenyan police clash with demonstrators leaving 10 dead
Authorities blocked major roads leading into the capital, Nairobi, and most businesses closed amid the strictest measures yet to contain the unrest. Protesters lit bonfires and threw stones at police. Police fired and hurled tear gas canisters, injuring demonstrators. Young men carried another man, his shirt drenched in blood, saying he had been shot. The protests were reported in 17 of 47 counties. Kenyans had planned demonstrations on July 7 to protest against police brutality, poor governance, and to demand President William Ruto's resignation over alleged corruption and the high cost of living. July 7 , known as Saba Saba, is a significant date in Kenya's recent history, marking the first major protests 35 years ago that called for a transition from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy, which was realised in the 1992 elections. Saba Saba is Swahili for Seven Seven, representing July 7. Police officers were stopping private and public vehicles from accessing the city centre. They were also blocking most pedestrians from entering the capital, only allowing through those deemed to have essential duties. 'There is no reversing the Gen Z Saba Saba-like spirit,' said Macharia Munene, professor of history and international relations at United States International University Africa in Nairobi. 'Attempt to criminalise protests is reactive and will not work. It instead makes the government appear retrogressive and desperate enough to subvert the constitution.' Public service minister Geoffrey Ruku had urged all government employees to report to work on Monday, insisting that the demonstrations would not disrupt public services. Interior minister Kipchumba Murkomen said on Sunday that the government would not tolerate violent protests and that police would be deployed to ensure public safety. The roads leading to the country's parliament and the president's office were barricaded using razor wire. On the outskirts of the city in Kitengela town, police fired tear gas on Monday to disperse protesters who had lit bonfires on the road that connects to neighbouring Tanzania. 'They have blocked the roads, blocking us from our work. I am a roadside vendor and I am supposed to get to town and buy merchandise to sell along the road,' said protester Caleb Okoth. 'What do they want us to eat? People are being beaten like dogs for protesting for their rights.' The country has recently experienced a wave of violent demonstrations, initially sparked by calls for police accountability following the death of a blogger in police custody. During protests on June 17, a civilian was shot at close range by police officers, further angering the public and prompting plans for additional demonstrations. On June 25, at least 16 people were killed and more than 400 injured during protests against police brutality, which were timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of anti-tax protests where over 60 people lost their lives.