Kenya anniversary protests turn violent, 8 dead
Marches in Kenya to mark a year since massive anti-government demos turned violent on Wednesday, with eight killed and at least 400 injured as protesters held running battles with police, who flooded Nairobi's streets with tear gas and sealed off government buildings with barbed wire.
Initially peaceful commemorations descended into chaos as scattered groups ripped up flagstones to throw projectiles at security forces and chanted for the resignation of President William Ruto.
The marches had been called for the anniversary of massive protests last year against tax rises that left at least 60 people dead and peaked when a huge crowd stormed parliament on June 25.
"We are marching against police brutality, against oppression by the government, against high taxation, everything that is going wrong in this country," said Anthony, 25, who was also selling flags and did not want to give his full name.
A coalition of rights groups said eight people died as protests were held in 23 counties.
"At least 400 others were treated, with 83 of them referred to specialized treatment for serious injuries," the coalition, which includes Amnesty International and the Kenyan Medical Association, said in a statement.
A hospital source in Matuu, a town around 100 kilometres (65 miles) from Nairobi, earlier told AFP that two people had died from gunshot wounds there, with local media reporting that police had opened fire.
The government ordered TV and radio stations to halt live coverage of the protests, which gained momentum beyond the capital, including in the port city Mombasa.
NetBlocks, a global internet tracker, said social media platform Telegram had been restricted.
"We are here as the young generation. We want a complete overhaul of the system, the system is rotten, the system is rogue," said protester Florence Achala in Nairobi.
- 'Goons' -
Anger has flared over police brutality, particularly after a teacher was killed in custody earlier this month.
A group of peaceful protesters was attacked last week by a gang of motorbike-riding "goons", as they are known in Kenya, armed with whips and clubs and working in tandem with the police.
Western embassies in Kenya, including those of Britain, Germany and the United States, criticised in a joint statement "the use of hired 'goons' to infiltrate or disrupt peaceful gatherings".
The "goons" were not clearly present on Wednesday but police used large amounts of tear gas and water cannons as they attempted to push back groups of protesters.
Analyst and lawyer Javas Bigambo told AFP he was worried political groups would exploit the volatile mood to foster violence.
"There is nothing good to celebrate about the events that happened last year," he said. "If we were serious about commemorating June 25th, it should be in solemnity, prayer and restraint."
- Disillusioned -
There is deep resentment against Ruto, who came to power in 2022 promising rapid economic progress.
Many are disillusioned by continued stagnation, corruption and high taxes, even after last year's protests forced Ruto to cancel the unpopular finance bill.
His government has been at pains to avoid direct tax rises this year.
But the frequent disappearances of government critics -- rights groups have counted more than 80 since last year's protests, with dozens still missing -- have led many to accuse Ruto of returning Kenya to the dark days of its dictatorship in the 1980s and 1990s.
Ruto has previously promised an end to abductions but was unapologetic in a speech on Tuesday, vowing to "stand by" the police.
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The Advertiser
17 hours ago
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Dozens hospitalised as Kenyan protesters, police clash
Fifty-six people have been hospitalised, most of them with bullet wounds, after participating in rallies in Kenya to mark the one-year anniversary of deadly protests against a tax bill, a hospital source says. Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to commemorate last year's demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died, with police firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse them in the capital Nairobi, according to local media and a Reuters witness. It was not immediately clear who had shot them, and Kenyan police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga declined to comment on the injuries. Some protesters clashed with police and an official at the capital's main Kenyatta National Hospital said the facility had received dozens of wounded people. "As at 16:00 hours, 56 patients had been admitted at KNH from the protest related injuries. Majority had rubber bullet injuries," the hospital source told Reuters, adding that no deaths had been reported at KNH. The source and Kenya's Citizen Television had earlier reported that at least 10 people were hospitalised. Large crowds were seen heading in the direction of State House, the president's office, in scenes broadcast by Kenyan channel NTV before it was pulled off the air after defying an order to stop live broadcasts of the demonstrations. The Communications Authority of Kenya's order was condemned by the Kenya Editors Guild, which called it "a gross violation of the constitution". "We have been switched off from all the signal broadcasters, now we are only live on YouTube and the website," a senior official at NTV's parent Nation Media Group told Reuters. Kenyan broadcaster KTN was also taken off air, it said on its Telegram channel, adding that it would continue to offer live coverage on YouTube, Facebook and X. Protesters torched court facilities in Kikuyu town on the outskirts of Nairobi, Citizen TV reported. Flames and thick smoke billowed from the court building in a video posted on the broadcaster's X account. Isolated clashes were reported in the port city of Mombasa, according to NTV, with protests also in the towns of Kitengela, Kisii, Matuu and Nyeri. Although last year's protests faded after President William Ruto withdrew proposed tax hikes, public anger has remained over the use of excessive force by security agencies, with fresh demonstrations this month over the death of a blogger in police custody. Six people, including three police officers, were charged with murder on Tuesday over the killing of 31-year-old blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang. All have pleaded not guilty. Ojwang's death has become a lightning rod for Kenyans still mourning those who perished at last year's demonstrations, blamed on security forces, against a backdrop of dozens of unexplained disappearances. "We are fighting for the rights of our fellow youths and Kenyans and the people who died since June 25... we want justice," Lumumba Harmony, a protester, told Reuters in Nairobi. The unprecedented scenes on June 25, 2024, showing police firing at protesters as they broke through barriers to enter parliament, created the biggest crisis of Ruto's presidency and sparked alarm among Kenya's international allies. Fifty-six people have been hospitalised, most of them with bullet wounds, after participating in rallies in Kenya to mark the one-year anniversary of deadly protests against a tax bill, a hospital source says. Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to commemorate last year's demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died, with police firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse them in the capital Nairobi, according to local media and a Reuters witness. It was not immediately clear who had shot them, and Kenyan police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga declined to comment on the injuries. Some protesters clashed with police and an official at the capital's main Kenyatta National Hospital said the facility had received dozens of wounded people. "As at 16:00 hours, 56 patients had been admitted at KNH from the protest related injuries. Majority had rubber bullet injuries," the hospital source told Reuters, adding that no deaths had been reported at KNH. The source and Kenya's Citizen Television had earlier reported that at least 10 people were hospitalised. Large crowds were seen heading in the direction of State House, the president's office, in scenes broadcast by Kenyan channel NTV before it was pulled off the air after defying an order to stop live broadcasts of the demonstrations. The Communications Authority of Kenya's order was condemned by the Kenya Editors Guild, which called it "a gross violation of the constitution". "We have been switched off from all the signal broadcasters, now we are only live on YouTube and the website," a senior official at NTV's parent Nation Media Group told Reuters. Kenyan broadcaster KTN was also taken off air, it said on its Telegram channel, adding that it would continue to offer live coverage on YouTube, Facebook and X. Protesters torched court facilities in Kikuyu town on the outskirts of Nairobi, Citizen TV reported. Flames and thick smoke billowed from the court building in a video posted on the broadcaster's X account. Isolated clashes were reported in the port city of Mombasa, according to NTV, with protests also in the towns of Kitengela, Kisii, Matuu and Nyeri. Although last year's protests faded after President William Ruto withdrew proposed tax hikes, public anger has remained over the use of excessive force by security agencies, with fresh demonstrations this month over the death of a blogger in police custody. Six people, including three police officers, were charged with murder on Tuesday over the killing of 31-year-old blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang. All have pleaded not guilty. Ojwang's death has become a lightning rod for Kenyans still mourning those who perished at last year's demonstrations, blamed on security forces, against a backdrop of dozens of unexplained disappearances. "We are fighting for the rights of our fellow youths and Kenyans and the people who died since June 25... we want justice," Lumumba Harmony, a protester, told Reuters in Nairobi. The unprecedented scenes on June 25, 2024, showing police firing at protesters as they broke through barriers to enter parliament, created the biggest crisis of Ruto's presidency and sparked alarm among Kenya's international allies. Fifty-six people have been hospitalised, most of them with bullet wounds, after participating in rallies in Kenya to mark the one-year anniversary of deadly protests against a tax bill, a hospital source says. Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to commemorate last year's demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died, with police firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse them in the capital Nairobi, according to local media and a Reuters witness. It was not immediately clear who had shot them, and Kenyan police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga declined to comment on the injuries. Some protesters clashed with police and an official at the capital's main Kenyatta National Hospital said the facility had received dozens of wounded people. "As at 16:00 hours, 56 patients had been admitted at KNH from the protest related injuries. Majority had rubber bullet injuries," the hospital source told Reuters, adding that no deaths had been reported at KNH. The source and Kenya's Citizen Television had earlier reported that at least 10 people were hospitalised. Large crowds were seen heading in the direction of State House, the president's office, in scenes broadcast by Kenyan channel NTV before it was pulled off the air after defying an order to stop live broadcasts of the demonstrations. The Communications Authority of Kenya's order was condemned by the Kenya Editors Guild, which called it "a gross violation of the constitution". "We have been switched off from all the signal broadcasters, now we are only live on YouTube and the website," a senior official at NTV's parent Nation Media Group told Reuters. Kenyan broadcaster KTN was also taken off air, it said on its Telegram channel, adding that it would continue to offer live coverage on YouTube, Facebook and X. Protesters torched court facilities in Kikuyu town on the outskirts of Nairobi, Citizen TV reported. Flames and thick smoke billowed from the court building in a video posted on the broadcaster's X account. Isolated clashes were reported in the port city of Mombasa, according to NTV, with protests also in the towns of Kitengela, Kisii, Matuu and Nyeri. Although last year's protests faded after President William Ruto withdrew proposed tax hikes, public anger has remained over the use of excessive force by security agencies, with fresh demonstrations this month over the death of a blogger in police custody. Six people, including three police officers, were charged with murder on Tuesday over the killing of 31-year-old blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang. All have pleaded not guilty. Ojwang's death has become a lightning rod for Kenyans still mourning those who perished at last year's demonstrations, blamed on security forces, against a backdrop of dozens of unexplained disappearances. "We are fighting for the rights of our fellow youths and Kenyans and the people who died since June 25... we want justice," Lumumba Harmony, a protester, told Reuters in Nairobi. The unprecedented scenes on June 25, 2024, showing police firing at protesters as they broke through barriers to enter parliament, created the biggest crisis of Ruto's presidency and sparked alarm among Kenya's international allies. Fifty-six people have been hospitalised, most of them with bullet wounds, after participating in rallies in Kenya to mark the one-year anniversary of deadly protests against a tax bill, a hospital source says. Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to commemorate last year's demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died, with police firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse them in the capital Nairobi, according to local media and a Reuters witness. It was not immediately clear who had shot them, and Kenyan police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga declined to comment on the injuries. Some protesters clashed with police and an official at the capital's main Kenyatta National Hospital said the facility had received dozens of wounded people. "As at 16:00 hours, 56 patients had been admitted at KNH from the protest related injuries. Majority had rubber bullet injuries," the hospital source told Reuters, adding that no deaths had been reported at KNH. The source and Kenya's Citizen Television had earlier reported that at least 10 people were hospitalised. Large crowds were seen heading in the direction of State House, the president's office, in scenes broadcast by Kenyan channel NTV before it was pulled off the air after defying an order to stop live broadcasts of the demonstrations. The Communications Authority of Kenya's order was condemned by the Kenya Editors Guild, which called it "a gross violation of the constitution". "We have been switched off from all the signal broadcasters, now we are only live on YouTube and the website," a senior official at NTV's parent Nation Media Group told Reuters. Kenyan broadcaster KTN was also taken off air, it said on its Telegram channel, adding that it would continue to offer live coverage on YouTube, Facebook and X. Protesters torched court facilities in Kikuyu town on the outskirts of Nairobi, Citizen TV reported. Flames and thick smoke billowed from the court building in a video posted on the broadcaster's X account. Isolated clashes were reported in the port city of Mombasa, according to NTV, with protests also in the towns of Kitengela, Kisii, Matuu and Nyeri. Although last year's protests faded after President William Ruto withdrew proposed tax hikes, public anger has remained over the use of excessive force by security agencies, with fresh demonstrations this month over the death of a blogger in police custody. Six people, including three police officers, were charged with murder on Tuesday over the killing of 31-year-old blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang. All have pleaded not guilty. Ojwang's death has become a lightning rod for Kenyans still mourning those who perished at last year's demonstrations, blamed on security forces, against a backdrop of dozens of unexplained disappearances. "We are fighting for the rights of our fellow youths and Kenyans and the people who died since June 25... we want justice," Lumumba Harmony, a protester, told Reuters in Nairobi. The unprecedented scenes on June 25, 2024, showing police firing at protesters as they broke through barriers to enter parliament, created the biggest crisis of Ruto's presidency and sparked alarm among Kenya's international allies.
News.com.au
18 hours ago
- News.com.au
Kenya anniversary protests turn violent, 8 dead
Marches in Kenya to mark a year since massive anti-government demos turned violent on Wednesday, with eight killed and at least 400 injured as protesters held running battles with police, who flooded Nairobi's streets with tear gas and sealed off government buildings with barbed wire. Initially peaceful commemorations descended into chaos as scattered groups ripped up flagstones to throw projectiles at security forces and chanted for the resignation of President William Ruto. The marches had been called for the anniversary of massive protests last year against tax rises that left at least 60 people dead and peaked when a huge crowd stormed parliament on June 25. "We are marching against police brutality, against oppression by the government, against high taxation, everything that is going wrong in this country," said Anthony, 25, who was also selling flags and did not want to give his full name. A coalition of rights groups said eight people died as protests were held in 23 counties. "At least 400 others were treated, with 83 of them referred to specialized treatment for serious injuries," the coalition, which includes Amnesty International and the Kenyan Medical Association, said in a statement. A hospital source in Matuu, a town around 100 kilometres (65 miles) from Nairobi, earlier told AFP that two people had died from gunshot wounds there, with local media reporting that police had opened fire. The government ordered TV and radio stations to halt live coverage of the protests, which gained momentum beyond the capital, including in the port city Mombasa. NetBlocks, a global internet tracker, said social media platform Telegram had been restricted. "We are here as the young generation. We want a complete overhaul of the system, the system is rotten, the system is rogue," said protester Florence Achala in Nairobi. - 'Goons' - Anger has flared over police brutality, particularly after a teacher was killed in custody earlier this month. A group of peaceful protesters was attacked last week by a gang of motorbike-riding "goons", as they are known in Kenya, armed with whips and clubs and working in tandem with the police. Western embassies in Kenya, including those of Britain, Germany and the United States, criticised in a joint statement "the use of hired 'goons' to infiltrate or disrupt peaceful gatherings". The "goons" were not clearly present on Wednesday but police used large amounts of tear gas and water cannons as they attempted to push back groups of protesters. Analyst and lawyer Javas Bigambo told AFP he was worried political groups would exploit the volatile mood to foster violence. "There is nothing good to celebrate about the events that happened last year," he said. "If we were serious about commemorating June 25th, it should be in solemnity, prayer and restraint." - Disillusioned - There is deep resentment against Ruto, who came to power in 2022 promising rapid economic progress. Many are disillusioned by continued stagnation, corruption and high taxes, even after last year's protests forced Ruto to cancel the unpopular finance bill. His government has been at pains to avoid direct tax rises this year. But the frequent disappearances of government critics -- rights groups have counted more than 80 since last year's protests, with dozens still missing -- have led many to accuse Ruto of returning Kenya to the dark days of its dictatorship in the 1980s and 1990s. Ruto has previously promised an end to abductions but was unapologetic in a speech on Tuesday, vowing to "stand by" the police.
Perth Now
19 hours ago
- Perth Now
Dozens hospitalised as Kenyan protesters, police clash
Fifty-six people have been hospitalised, most of them with bullet wounds, after participating in rallies in Kenya to mark the one-year anniversary of deadly protests against a tax bill, a hospital source says. Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to commemorate last year's demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died, with police firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse them in the capital Nairobi, according to local media and a Reuters witness. It was not immediately clear who had shot them, and Kenyan police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga declined to comment on the injuries. Some protesters clashed with police and an official at the capital's main Kenyatta National Hospital said the facility had received dozens of wounded people. "As at 16:00 hours, 56 patients had been admitted at KNH from the protest related injuries. Majority had rubber bullet injuries," the hospital source told Reuters, adding that no deaths had been reported at KNH. The source and Kenya's Citizen Television had earlier reported that at least 10 people were hospitalised. Large crowds were seen heading in the direction of State House, the president's office, in scenes broadcast by Kenyan channel NTV before it was pulled off the air after defying an order to stop live broadcasts of the demonstrations. The Communications Authority of Kenya's order was condemned by the Kenya Editors Guild, which called it "a gross violation of the constitution". "We have been switched off from all the signal broadcasters, now we are only live on YouTube and the website," a senior official at NTV's parent Nation Media Group told Reuters. Kenyan broadcaster KTN was also taken off air, it said on its Telegram channel, adding that it would continue to offer live coverage on YouTube, Facebook and X. Protesters torched court facilities in Kikuyu town on the outskirts of Nairobi, Citizen TV reported. Flames and thick smoke billowed from the court building in a video posted on the broadcaster's X account. Isolated clashes were reported in the port city of Mombasa, according to NTV, with protests also in the towns of Kitengela, Kisii, Matuu and Nyeri. Although last year's protests faded after President William Ruto withdrew proposed tax hikes, public anger has remained over the use of excessive force by security agencies, with fresh demonstrations this month over the death of a blogger in police custody. Six people, including three police officers, were charged with murder on Tuesday over the killing of 31-year-old blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang. All have pleaded not guilty. Ojwang's death has become a lightning rod for Kenyans still mourning those who perished at last year's demonstrations, blamed on security forces, against a backdrop of dozens of unexplained disappearances. "We are fighting for the rights of our fellow youths and Kenyans and the people who died since June 25... we want justice," Lumumba Harmony, a protester, told Reuters in Nairobi. The unprecedented scenes on June 25, 2024, showing police firing at protesters as they broke through barriers to enter parliament, created the biggest crisis of Ruto's presidency and sparked alarm among Kenya's international allies.
