Kenya's parliament and president's office barricaded ahead of anniversary protests
There was a heavy police presence and the roads leading to Parliament were barricaded with razor wire, as was President William Ruto's statehouse office.
During last year's protests, demonstrators stormed Parliament, burning part of the building as lawmakers fled. Bodies lay in the streets, and medical workers and watchdogs said police had opened fire. The military was deployed.
Kenyan youth remain unhappy with the current administration due to corruption, rising cost of living and police brutality, and the recent death of a blogger in custody. The close-range shooting of a civilian during recent protests has exacerbated public anger.
Young Kenyans used social media to plan protests in remembrance of those who died last year. The government spokesperson, Isaac Mwaura, on Monday said there would be no protests, and that Wednesday was a 'normal working day.'
But businesses in Nairobi on Wednesday remained closed and police limited the movement of vehicles into the central business district. Hundreds of Kenyans were already on the streets early in the morning, chanting anti-government slogans as police hurled tear gas cannisters at some of the crowds.
Wangechi Kahuria, the executive director for the Independent Medico-Legal Unit, an NGO that tracked the killings during protests, said that Kenyans should be 'allowed to mourn and go back home.'
Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja on Tuesday said no unauthorized persons would be allowed inside protected zones such as Parliament and the statehouse.
Local media on Wednesday published the names and photos of some of those who died during last year's protests. The headline in a major newspaper, The Standard, read 'A luta Continua,' which means 'The struggle continues' in Portuguese and was the slogan of rebels during Mozambique's struggle for independence from colonial rule.
Political analyst Herman Manyora called the protesters 'heroes' who paid the ultimate price and should be remembered.
'The authorities should work with the demonstrators to ensure a good commemoration,' he said.
Manyora, however, warned that the protesters remain unhappy with the authorities because the 'government has been intransigent and has hardened the resolve of the young people to keep fighting.'
During last year's protests, President Ruto dissolved the Cabinet that had been accused of incompetence and corruption but maintained most of his previous ministers in his new Cabinet despite concerns.
A finance bill proposing high taxes that had been passed by Parliament was withdrawn, but later in the year, more taxes were introduced through legislative amendments.
President Ruto appointed opposition party members to the Cabinet last year and in March he signed a political pact with his election rival, opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
3 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Kenya in Talks With China to Convert Dollar Loans Into Yuan Debt
By and Helen Nyambura Save Kenya is in talks with China to convert dollar-denominated debt the East African nation owes its biggest bilateral lender to yuan and extend the repayment period, Treasury Secretary John Mbadi said. The negotiations are aimed at helping reduce the $1 billion Kenya spends annually on servicing its debt to China, and to create more wiggle room in its budget, he said in an interview in the capital, Nairobi, on Wednesday. The discussions are expected to conclude soon, Mbadi said, without providing a more specific timeframe.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Japan hosts African leaders for development conference
Japan hosted African leaders on Wednesday for a three-day development conference, offering itself as an alternative to China as the continent reels from a debt crisis exacerbated by Western aid cuts, conflict and climate change. Attendees at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) included Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, William Ruto of Kenya and UN head Antonio Guterres. "The debt and liquidity crisis on the African continent is worsening the challenging socio-economic environment and constraining the fiscal space for governments to cast a safety net over its citizens," Ramaphosa's office said in a statement. China has invested heavily in Africa over the past decade, with its companies there signing deals worth hundreds of billions of dollars to finance shipping ports, railways, roads and other projects under Beijing's Belt and Road global infrastructure initiative. But new lending is drying up, and developing countries are now grappling with a "tidal wave" of debt to both Beijing and international private creditors, the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, said in May. African countries have also seen Western aid slashed, in particular through President Donald Trump's dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). TICAD was expected to touch on possible future free-trade deals between Japan and African nations, loan guarantees and investment incentives for Japanese firms, local media reported. However, Japan's biggest business lobby, Keidanren, warned that Tokyo must work to win the trust of developing nations. "By actively contributing to solving the social issues faced by countries in the Global South, Japan must be chosen as a trustworthy partner," Keidanren said in a policy recommendation in June. Africa presents opportunities with its young population and natural resources, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters on Tuesday. "We will be discussing how we may leverage these human and material resources as a source of vitality and connect them to Japan's growth and the prosperity of the world," he said. "Rather than focusing on our own needs, we want to carefully identify the needs of our partners and earn their trust, thereby fulfilling our role as a nation," Ishiba said. Ishiba was set to propose at the conference -- the ninth since 1993 -- an "economic zone" encompassing the Indian Ocean region and Africa, Kyodo News reported. Japan will pledge to cultivate 30,000 artificial intelligence experts over the next three years to promote industrial digitalisation and job creation, Kyodo said. hih/stu/mjw/mtp
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Southern African leaders meet in Madagascar to chart path for self-reliance
Southern African leaders are meeting in Madagascar to decide how to make the region more self-reliant and less vulnerable to global economic shocks after years of instability and falling foreign aid. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit gets underway in Antananarivo on Sunday, with Madagascar taking the bloc's rotating presidency for the first time. Leaders from 16 countries will set the course for the region's future, discussing how to boost trade from within and cut dependence on outside partners. The theme this year is clear: remove barriers, move goods faster and keep more value at home. Opening the SADC Council of Ministers on Tuesday, executive secretary Elias Magosi said the region is being squeezed by higher customs tariffs, shrinking aid and political unrest abroad. 'It is becoming increasingly evident that we are more likely to succeed when we depend more on our own resources than on external support over which we have absolutely no control,' he said. 'To achieve this, we must strengthen intra-regional trade, remove trade barriers and invest in essential infrastructure.' Southern African bloc decides to end military mission in DRC Building up manufacturing SADC wants manufacturing to make up 30 percent of its GDP by 2030, nearly triple today's 11 percent. The aim is to build an economy that can keep going when the global market stumbles. Madagascar's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rafaravavitafika Rasata – who chairs the Council of Ministers – said all member states need to be part of the plan. 'By combining the maritime, economic, environmental and cultural potential of the islands with the resources and agricultural and industrial power of the continental member states, we can build the autonomous and competitive SADC we want,' she said. Southern African forces set to deploy in eastern DRC to quell M23 rebel militia Political tensions The summit comes at a time of political strain in Madagascar. Former presidents Marc Ravalomanana and Hery Rajaonarimampianina have criticised holding the event in Antananarivo. In a joint statement, they accused President Andry Rajoelina's government of presiding over a worsening political and economic climate. They cited alleged restrictions on peaceful protests, what they called the 'llack of real independence' of the electoral commission, and a situation in which 80 percent of the population live below the poverty line. They warned that pressing ahead without tackling these issues 'would undermine the credibility of the SADC'. Rajoelina rejected their accusations, saying his predecessors were trying to discourage SADC leaders from attending. He called the summit an historic opportunity for both Madagascar and the region as the island takes the bloc's leadership for the first time.
