Violent protests are latest sign of Kenyan president's unpopularity 3 years into his term
For others who want him gone only three years after he was elected , even that's a long time.
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Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Armed gang attacks Kenya Human Rights Commission on eve of protests
An armed gang attacked the headquarters of the Kenyan Human Rights Commission on Sunday as it hosted a press conference calling for an end to state violence, an AFP journalist saw. The attack came on the eve of "Saba Saba Day" when Kenyans mark pro-democracy protests from the 1990s, and renewed unrest is expected on Monday. The east African country is once again facing a wave of violent protests over economic stagnation, corruption and repeated acts of police brutality under President William Ruto. The Kenyan Human Rights Commission was hosting a press conference calling for "an immediate end to arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings" when it was attacked by 20 men, some armed with sticks. "The gate was locked but they forced themselves in. They were attacking and robbing guys, saying: 'You are planning protests here'," said an AFP journalist at the scene. "Armed goons have attacked offices of the Kenya Human Rights Commission," the Women's Collective, which helped organise the meeting, posted on X. At least 19 people were killed and thousands of businesses looted and destroyed in a day of nationwide protests on June 25. The government has been accused of deploying "goons" against protesters and political opponents. Hundreds of men on motorbikes armed with whips and clubs attacked a protest against police brutality in Nairobi on June 17. AFP journalists at the scene said they were operating with the protection of police. - 'Kenya feels fragile' - Urbanisation, improved education and the spread of social media have fuelled anger over the stagnant economy and poor governance in a country where around 80 percent are trapped in informal, poorly paid jobs. "Kenya feels much more fragile than it would have four or even three years ago," said Declan Galvin, Kenya-based analyst with Exigent Risk Advisory. "We have a much larger, urban, mainly youth population, who do not rely on ethnicity and tribalism" as they did in the past, he told AFP. Politically, Ruto still holds a strong position, having forged an alliance with the main opposition leader Raila Odinga, leaving no clear challenger ahead of the next vote in 2027. But each violent crackdown is fuelling further unrest, said activist Nerima Wako. "Every time people organise a protest, they kill more people, so it just continues to feed off itself," she said. Saba Saba Day marks the uprising on July 7, 1990 when Kenyans demanded a return to multi-party democracy after years of autocratic rule by then-president Daniel arap Moi. Ruto cut his teeth as a youth organiser for Moi when those protests were violently suppressed. His government "seems to be trying to repeat the nineties, but we are not in the nineties," said Gabrielle Lynch, an African politics expert at Britain's University of Warwick. "They don't seem to have realised that the world is different. People are more politically aware, but also the communication environment has dramatically changed with the rise of social media," she added. "People don't have the same in-built fear of the state." bur-er/cw
Bloomberg
11 hours ago
- Bloomberg
South African President Faces New Crisis Over Police Allegations
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa faces a fresh crisis within his government after a police official accused one of his ministers of interference in an investigation into political assassinations. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the police commissioner in KwaZulu-Natal province, said Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and senior national police officials in March seized dockets with information on political killings and effectively froze the probes. He questioned the motives behind what he said were Mchunu's plans to disband a task team established to look into the deaths.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Uganda's 80-year-old president in bid to extend 40-year rule
Uganda's long-serving president, Yoweri Museveni, 80, has been declared the governing party's candidate in next year's presidential election, opening the way for him to seek to extend his nearly 40 years in power. In his acceptance speech, Museveni said that he had responded to the call and, if elected, would press ahead with his mission to turn Uganda into a "high middle income country". Museveni's critics say he has ruled with an iron hand since he seized power as a rebel leader in 1986. He has won every election held since then, and the constitution has been amended twice to remove age and term limits to allow him remain in office. Pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine is expected to be Museveni's main challenger in the election scheduled for next January. Wine told the BBC in April that he would run against Museveni if he was nominated by his party, the National Unity Platform, but it was getting "tougher" to be in opposition because of growing state repression. "Being in the opposition in Uganda means being labelled a terrorist," he said. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, lost the last election in 2021 to Museveni by 35% to 59% in a poll marred by allegations of rigging and a crackdown on the opposition. Another prominent opposition politician, Kizza Besigye, has been in detention since November after being accused of treason. He denies the allegation, saying his arrest is political. In his acceptance speech at the National Resistance Movement (NRM) conference on Saturday, Museveni said that he had brought about stability and progress in Uganda. He said it was crucial that Uganda did not "miss the bus of history as happened in the past when Europe transformed and Africa stagnated and was enslaved". Museveni added that he wanted Uganda to take a "qualitative leap", and become a "high upper middle income country". "Other countries in Asia with less natural resources, did it. We can do it," he added. Are East African governments uniting to silence dissent? How Besigye disappeared in Kenya and ended up in military court How an ex-rebel has stayed in power Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Focus on Africa This Is Africa
