Kenyan police clash with demonstrators leaving 10 dead
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.
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BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Is William Ruto the most disliked Kenyan president in history?
Kenya's William Ruto rode into office on a wave of enthusiasm among ordinary people who hoped he would live up to his promises to improve their lives. Instead, he is facing unrelenting criticism – seen as unmatched in the country's frustrated by the intensity of the backlash, he on Wednesday asked why such public outrage was never directed at his predecessors, including Daniel arap Moi, who ruled with an iron fist for over two decades marked by political repression and human rights abuses, and others who departed under clouds of Wednesday Ruto posed: "All this chaos, why wasn't it directed at [former presidents] Moi, Mwai Kibaki, Uhuru Kenyatta…Why the contempt and arrogance?" Analysts describe the current wave of public anger toward President Ruto, which has seen 10 people killed over the past year, as "unprecedented", uniting Kenyans across ethnic, religious, and class divisions. Protests against his administration began barely a year after he came into power. Three years in, many aggrieved Kenyans now want him gone – amid unrelenting protests with rallying calls of "Ruto must go" and "Ruto Wantam" (Ruto for one term). When Ruto was vying for the presidency, he portrayed himself as a common man, who came from a childhood marked by poverty and resilience. He appealed to the ordinary folk as a person they could draw inspiration from - having risen from chicken seller to that to earlier this year, when a newspaper splashed a headline asking whether Ruto was "Kenya's most hated president", a sentiment that has often echoed across social media platforms and public marks an extraordinary change in Kenyan politics, often shaped by ethnic allegiances and class divisions. Just as Ruto was seen as transcending those barriers to clinch the presidency, the same dynamics now appear to be working against week the phrase "We are all Kikuyus," trended on social media as young people rejected attempts to reintroduce the ethnic divisions that have long plagued Kenyan politics. A counter narrative of "We are all Kenyans" emerged but failed to gain similar traction – with some seeing it as an attempt to dilute the expression of solidarity in the first Kikuyu, Kenya's largest ethnic group from the Mt Kenya region, overwhelmingly backed Ruto in the 2022 elections, together with Rigathi Gachagua, who hails from the region, as his Gachagua's hounding from office last year through a dramatic impeachment process, which he described as a betrayal, sparked discontent in the region. In the aftermath, some politicians allied to Ruto have accused Kikuyu elites of fuelling opposition against the analyst Mark Bichachi says the opposition to the president is not ethnically driven, but is happening across diverse communities in urban and rural terms the "public outcry against a president and a regime" both "unprecedented" and "historical", even surpassing the political upheavals of the 1980s and 1990s when Moi led a one-party period was marked by brutal crackdowns and a bloody fight for multiparty democracy, but Mr Bichachi tells the BBC that this did not generate the kind of pressure now bearing down on Ruto, adding that the tensions then were linked to the Cold War and were felt across the mourns 'beautiful' 12-year-old shot while watching TV during Kenya protestsWhy the death of a blogger has put Kenya's police on trial'Shoot in the leg' - Kenyan leader orders police to curb violent protestsBut academic Dr Njoki Wamai says the criticism levelled at the president is nothing unusual, but part of a political tradition during moments of crisis."All presidents, when they've gone against the constitution, against the will of the Kenyan people, have always faced a lot of criticism," she tells the points to past leaders such as the founding president Jomo Kenyatta and his successor Moi - who both faced an intense backlash and loss of public trust during critical moments - including after the assassination of key political leaders and the coup attempt against Moi in 1982. "What is different [this time] is that the scale of spread of information is higher," she says, noting the impact of Kenya's digitally savvy youth, whose widespread access to social media and digital tools has amplified public also describes Ruto as always having been "very conservative," suggesting that his political outlook clashes with the more liberal values embraced by many Kenyans - particularly young people. This ideological mismatch, she argues, has contributed to growing current resistance campaigns are largely youth-led, online-based, decentralised and seen as leaderless, mostly unfolding outside the established political class. Since last year, they have been driven by anger over the high cost of living, aggressive taxation, corruption and police pointing to ethnic politics and incitement as fuelling the latest unrest, the president said on Wednesday: Let's stop ethnic division, hatred, pride and contempt. We are all Kenyans".He vowed to use "whatever means necessary" to maintain peace and stability. He called on the police to shoot in the legs protesters who were targeting businesses, rather than killing them. His remarks sparked more outrage and last year, the Kenyan government has responded to protests and dissent with brutal crackdowns, including mass arrests and alleged abductions by security operatives. It is a strategy that rights groups say has only deepened public outrage and alienated the citizens from the state, with the police accused of using excessive force to quell the than 100 people have been killed in successive waves of anti-government protests since June last year. The latest one on Monday claimed 38 lives, marking the deadliest day of unrest than serve as a catalyst for police reform or push efforts to pacify the demonstrators, the deaths have often served as a spark for subsequent protests, turning grief into government has blamed the violence on protesters, accusing them of attacking police stations and even trying to stage a communication expert Hesbon Owilla calls the unrest "probably the most intense outrage against a regime" in Kenya's history. He says it has brought people from all walks of life to unite in puts it down to how the president communicates to the people. He says Ruto's promises to uplift the fortunes of ordinary people were "real, extremely real" and shifted the campaign from ethnic mobilisation toward issue-based politics."Then he became president. We are still waiting. What Kenyans are experiencing is worse," he tells the BBC, capturing the deep sense of disappointment among many says that unlike past governments that made cautious promises, Ruto made, and continues to make, sweeping pledges leading to broken expectations."The disillusionment is creating the rage," he says. Citing the example of the order to shoot protesters, he also says that the president often speaks when silence might serve him better - overexposing himself and inadvertently making serious national issues feel personal. As a result, when there is criticism, it tends to be directed squarely at him, rather than being attributed to a failure of governance so, Ruto has repeatedly highlighted his administration's efforts to better the lives of all Kenyans, pointing to the government's flagship affordable housing project, a universal health scheme, digital jobs, and an overseas employment programme as key inspecting one of the housing sites this week, he acknowledged the severity of youth unemployment but emphasised that the problem predates his insisted that his government was the first to take deliberate steps to tackle the crisis, citing state initiatives such as the housing project that he says has created hundreds of thousands of president appealed for patience, as the problem would take time to patience, especially amid the high cost of living, unmet expectations, and growing frustration, is not something that most Kenyans feel they can of those flagship programmes have come at a steep cost to Kenyans, who now have 1.5% housing levy and a 2.75% health insurance tax deducted from their monthly incomes. The pain of paying some of these higher taxes has dominated everyday conversations, especially with a perception that higher taxes have not resulted in better public the government's credit, Mr Owilla says some of the initiatives, like the universal healthcare project, have had a great impact, and others may eventually deliver for Mr Bichachi argues that the government has "lost touch with how people feel", and its tone has remained unchanged despite rising public says the issue is unlikely to change based on how the government performs – describing it as a "love-hate relationship" between the people and the is "how we find ourselves where we are", he concludes, referring to the intense resentment that is now faced by the president, who was once one of the "the most applauded and lauded leaders to come onto the Kenyan state". You may also be interested in: Are East African governments uniting to silence dissent?BBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protestersEl Chapo & Deputy Jesus - why Kenya's president has so many nicknamesNew faces of protest - Kenya's Gen Z anti-tax revolutionaries'We live in fear' - forced expulsions taint Kenya's safe haven image Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
BreakingNews.ie
14 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Kenyan president ‘should resign over calls for police to shoot criminals'
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Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Kenyan president approves new officials to head elections body
NAIROBI, July 11 (Reuters) - Kenya's President William Ruto has approved a new chairperson and commissioners to head the elections commission, a legal notice showed, filling positions of critical influence in a country with a long history of contentious polls. The East African nation's next general election will be held in 2027, but Ruto is already under pressure from street protests led by young Kenyans dissatisfied with high living costs, corruption and police brutality. The new chairman and six commissioners appointed to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission will serve for the next four years, according to the notice issued late on Thursday. They were due to be sworn in on Friday. Ruto suspended four election commissioners in December 2022 after they rejected his victory in elections held earlier that year. The dispute proceeded to the Supreme Court, which upheld Ruto's win and rejected the commissioners' arguments that the vote tallying process had been opaque. The commission had been operating without a chairperson or commissioners since 2023, when the terms of the former chairman and the two remaining commissioners expired. The appointment of new election commissioners, who are chosen by an interview panel and then submitted to the president for approval, had been delayed in part due to several legal petitions, which a high court dismissed on Thursday.
