Nairobi, Kenya — Kenyan police on Thursday banned protests in the capital indefinitely, citing a lack of leadership to ensure peaceful protests.
The ban was announced hours before a protest planned for Thursday, in which demonstrators were expected to march on the president’s office calling for his resignation over poor governance.
Acting Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja said in a statement that a lack of leadership had “made it difficult to implement security protocols.”
Recent protests have left businesses tallying losses following looting and fires.
The protesters had not yet been seen on Thursday, but police were still blocking the main roads leading to the president’s office.
Kenya has seen a month of protests that began with calls for lawmakers to vote against a controversial finance bill that proposed higher taxes amid a cost of living crisis and growing public debt.
At least 50 people have been killed since protests began on June 18, according to Kenya’s National Human Rights Commission.
President William Ruto said he would not sign the finance bill passed by parliament on June 25, the day protesters They attacked and burned part of the building., prompting lawmakers to flee. The president last week. He dismissed almost his entire cabinet and the attorney general, as demanded by the protesters who accused the ministers of incompetence, corruption and display of opulence.
Some businesses in Nairobi remained closed on a rainy morning in anticipation of protests planned for Thursday. Police remained heavily deployed around the central business district patrolling the streets.
The police have been accused of brutality against protesters. On Friday, Japhet Koome, former inspector general of police, give up after protesters asked him to take responsibility for shooting protesters.
The Independent Police Oversight Authority said on Wednesday it had referred four in 10 cases of police brutality to the director of public prosecutions with recommendations.
The watchdog had recorded witness statements and ordered several police officers to appear before it to give their testimony.
Kenyan police officers have been accused of brutality in the past and a contingent of 400 officers is currently in the Caribbean nation of Haiti leading a UN-backed police mission to combat gang violence.
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