The ‘Nane Nane’ march, which means ‘eight eight’ in reference to the date, follows weeks of protests that saw President William Ruto cancel planned tax increases and reshuffle his cabinet.
Kenyan police fired tear gas in the heart of the capital, Nairobi, as small groups of people gathered in renewed protest against President William Ruto.
The “Nane Nane” march, meaning “eight eight” in reference to the date of August 8, took place on Thursday after weeks of similar pro-reform protests that led Ruto to cancel planned tax increases and reshuffle his cabinet .
Riot police patrolled the streets of the central business district and blockades were placed on major arteries. Many stores were closed.
The East African nation, one of the most stable in the region, has been rocked by weeks of sometimes deadly protests against Ruto’s two-year-old administration, mostly led by young Gen Z Kenyans.
In what was the biggest crisis of his two years in office, Ruto bowed to pressure and shelved the new taxes in June, after some protesters briefly stormed parliament.
He also fired his entire cabinet except the foreign minister last month, a victory for activists and protesters demanding radical change.
As Ruto oversaw the inauguration of a revamped cabinet on Thursday, just a few kilometers away, police fired tear gas into the capital and detained several people.
But other than that, the streets seemed quite calm, with a few people going about their normal activities.
Television footage from the Indian Ocean city of Mombasa showed traffic flowing normally and with no signs of trouble, and the western lakeside city of Kisumu was also reported to be calm.
Stephens Wanjiku, a 29-year-old fashion designer, said she has taken to the streets since the demonstrations began in mid-June to demand “good governance and accountability.”
“I was beaten,” Wanjiku, wearing a bright blue robe, ski goggles and several masks, told the AFP news agency in Nairobi, saying police brutality should be “a thing of the past, we shouldn’t see it in 2024.” .
Kenya’s inspector-general of police, Gilbert Masengeli, had warned on Wednesday that “criminals” intended to infiltrate demonstrations and advised people to stay away from protected areas such as the main international airport and Ruto’s official residence. , and to take precautions in busy areas.
What began as peaceful youth-led demonstrations against controversial tax rise proposals has turned into wider action against Ruto and what many see as wasteful government spending and corruption.
More than 50 people have been killed since the protests began, with police accused of using excessive force, sometimes firing live bullets, while dozens of people have gone missing, according to rights groups.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
