At least 10 killed during anti-government protests in Kenya
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘Shoot them in the leg': Kenyan president's anti-protest rhetoric hardens as death toll rises
Kenya's president, William Ruto, has ordered police to shoot protesters targeting businesses in the legs, in a sharp intensification of his rhetoric days after 31 people were killed in nationwide anti-government demonstrations. 'They shouldn't kill them but they should shoot their legs so they break and they can go to hospital on their way to court,' Ruto said in the capital, Nairobi. In his toughest remarks yet about the wave of protests over economic stagnation, corruption and police brutality that have swept the east African country, he also accused his political opponents of orchestrating the demonstrations and said some of those out on the streets were waging a 'war' on the state. 'Those who attack our police, those who attack our security men and women, those who attack our security installations, including police stations, that is a declaration of war, that is terrorism,' he said. 'We are going to deal with you firmly. We cannot have a nation that is run by terror. We cannot have a nation that is governed by violence. 'This country will not be destroyed by a few people who are impatient and who want to have a change of government using unconstitutional means. It is not going to happen.' In the latest protests, on Monday, Kenyans took to the streets to mark Saba Saba (Seven Seven), the day on 7 July 1990 when Kenyans rose up to demand a return to multiparty democracy after years of autocratic rule under Daniel arap Moi. Thirty-one people were killed on Monday and 107 others were injured, according to the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, bringing the toll to 51 over the past two months, according to an Agence France-Pressse tally. Unicef condemned the killing of a 12-year-old girl by a stray bullet while she was at home in Kiambu county, nine miles from the capital, as well as the arrest of children during the protests. 'Children must be protected from harm at all times and under all circumstances,' the UN agency said. The demonstrations began in June last year as a youth-led movement against a proposed tax increase that quickly widened to encompass calls for reform and Ruto's resignation. The government was forced to withdraw the finance bill that contained the proposed rises, and Ruto dismissed nearly all of his cabinet in an attempt to control the situation, but police killings and abductions did little to assuage public anger. The death in police custody last month of a teacher who had reportedly criticised a senior police official on social media, and the police shooting of a man at close range during a subsequent protest, has refocused attention on the security forces. On some occasions protests have degenerated into looting and violence on the part of the protesters, with thousands of businesses destroyed. Ruto was elected on a promise to improve the wellbeing of young and ordinary Kenyans, but many feel he has failed to deliver on his economic pledges and that he has responded in a tone-deaf manner to protesters' demands. Ruto's latest comments echo an order to police from the interior minister, Kipchumba Murkomen, two weeks ago to shoot people who approach police stations 'with criminal intent'. Opposition leaders, including Ruto's former deputy and ally Rigathi Gachagua, have accused the government of unleashing 'hostile' state-sponsored violence against its citizens. On Tuesday, they called on the public to 'boycott all businesses, services and institutions owned, operated or publicly linked to this regime and its enablers'. Ruto's allies have accused Gachagua of bankrolling violent protests – accusations he has denied. Gachagua also dismissed Ruto's claims of a plot to overthrow the government, saying on Wednesday: 'We want to remove you … through the ballot in 2027.' Observers say that Ruto has to endear himself both to a disillusioned general public and to younger Kenyans – a strong-willed and defiant generation born after the restoration of multiparty democracy who benefited from free primary education that started in 2003, and who have been leading the push for change since last year. The UN said it was 'deeply troubled' over the deaths during this week's protests and that 'intentional lethal force by law enforcement officers, including with firearms, should only be used when strictly necessary to protect life from an imminent threat'. Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
Muscat Daily
5 hours ago
- Muscat Daily
Kenya: Tensions after more deadly protests
Nairobi, Kenya – Businesses remained closed and roadblocks in place amid tentative calm after violent unrest in Nairobi and other parts of Kenya on Monday. In Embu, to the northeast of the capital, protesters gathered once more on Tuesday after a lawmaker was arrested, says DW's Andrew Wasike. 'Angry residents have lit bonfires and barricaded roads with stones, paralysing traffic in parts of the town,' Wasike says. The protesters are accusing government of political persecution and demanding the release of lawmaker Gitonga Mukunji. The authorities reportedly accused the lawmaker of inciting citizens to protest on the 35th anniversary of the pro-democracy Saba Saba uprising. Meanwhile, in the central city of Kiambu on Tuesday, the case of a girl killed by a stray bullet during the Saba Saba Day unrest was fuelling public anger. 'Protesters took to the streets by the hundreds to call for justice for the family of the 12-year-old,' Wasike says. According to police, over 560 people were arrested in the Saba Saba Day unrest where protesters called on President William Ruto to resign. Government response – 'authoritarianism' On Wednesday, Ruto issued a stern warning: Anyone deciding to storm a person's business or a police station should be shot in the leg. Thereafter, they can go to court and see what follows next.' The government would not tolerate people who want to ''change the government using unconstitutional means,' Ruto said. 'Those plotting to remove me from office before 2027 must know we will not let them destroy this country through unconstitutional means.' Over the past year, Kenya has seen waves of deadly anti-government protests. On June 25, at least 19 people were killed and over 400 injured in clashes between protesters and police. Isabel Brenda, a senior elections and governance advisor at the Electoral Law and Governance Institute for Africa, is critical of the government's response. 'The government's reaction is very unfortunate because the government, of course, has panicked and is resorting to authoritarianism and over-policing, which has led to loss of lives,' Brenda told DW. Many of the protesters are youth, who say they are frustrated by corruption, economic hardship and poor governance. Protesters this week reiterated their calls for an end to police brutality, and for equality and opportunities. 'There's serious unemployment gaps and issues with young people. The cost of living is very high. So, these are some of the issues that are really pressing Kenyan citizens,' says Brenda. Business owners are worried Shops were torched and ransacked in the unrest. 'Look, everything is burnt,' one Nairobi shopkeeper told Reuters this week 'So please,' the shopkeeper addressed the government, 'try to talk to the Gen Zs. Because all that is happening is because of the Gen Zs.' Some business owners say the unrest is threatening their livelihoods. 'Things are so tough in our country right now. Sometimes you come from morning until evening, and you've not sold. And these are things that we've invested in for so long. We are appealing for calm,' a trader told Reuters. According to Brenda, the decentralised nature of the protests has contributed to the volatility. 'The Gen Zs, as you know, are leaderless; they are party-less, they are tribe-less. They don't believe in going into ethnic cocoons,' she told DW. Is there a solution? In the runup to Saba Saba Day, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said the government was committed to protecting life and property. 'Our security agencies are on high alert to deal decisively with criminals and other elements of ill intent who may seek to infiltrate peaceful processions to cause havoc, mayhem, or destruction of property,' Murkomen said. Brenda warns that the government risks underestimating the scale of the public discontent. 'I will echo what I think the country is feeling in terms of the government not listening to its people. It's tone deaf. These are young people who are saying that we are tired of bad governance, and we want changes,' she said. 'I mean, you cannot bury your head in the sand simply because you are unhappy with what young people are saying. I would rather you remove your head from the sand and listen to what is being said. Come to the table, find solutions.' DW
Toronto Star
7 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Kenya's president says ‘enough is enough' and vows to end anti-government protests
ADDITION: CLARIFIES DATE - An armed police vehicle parks on road ahead of demonstrations to mark the historic 1990 Saba Saba (a Swahili word that means seven seven) protests for democratic reforms in the Kangemi slum of Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga) BI flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
