(Nairobi) Hundreds of people demonstrated against the government again on Tuesday across Kenya, despite the ban, an East African country shaken for more than a month by youth gatherings that have left at least 50 dead.
In the capital Nairobi’s business district, the epicentre of previous rallies, shops remained closed as some protesters mobilised to march towards the main Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), one of Africa’s busiest.
“There is no doubt that the current protests have become a haven for motivated and opportunistic criminals who loot and destroy property,” acting police chief Douglas Kanja told reporters.
“We reiterate that anyone who breaks the law will be punished swiftly and firmly,” he continued. Heavily armed police were deployed on the roads leading to the airport.
Kenya has been hit since June 13 by protests originally led by young people from “Generation Z” (born after 1997), angered by a draft budget providing for tax increases on everyday products, and finally withdrawn by President Ruto in the face of the scale of the mobilization.
On June 25, the rallies turned chaotic when protesters stormed parliament and were fired upon with live ammunition by police. According to an official human rights organization, at least 50 people have been killed since the start of the protests.
Despite the announcement of the budget’s withdrawal, protesters continue to gather across the country to demand the president’s departure. However, the rallies are becoming increasingly sporadic.
In the coastal city of Mombasa, the country’s second largest, police fired tear gas at dozens of protesters gathered in the city centre, according to footage broadcast by local media.
Caught off guard by the scale of the protests, President William Ruto, who came to power in 2022, took a series of measures such as withdrawing the budget bill and dismissing almost his entire government.
The president announced on Friday the composition of a partial government comprising 11 members, a majority of whom were already present in the previous team. The head of state said he was continuing consultations with a view to forming a “broad-based government”.