NAIROBI: Kenyan police fired tear gas to scatter small crowds in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday (Jul 2), AFP reporters saw, after youth activists called for fresh protests following deadly violence during anti-tax hike demonstrations last month.
Activists have stepped up their campaign against President William Ruto despite his announcement last week that he would not sign into law a controversial finance bill that triggered what he has branded “treasonous” protests.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said on Monday that 39 people had been killed and 361 injured during two weeks of demonstrations and condemned the use of force against protesters as “excessive and disproportionate”.
On Tuesday morning, Nairobi’s central business district – the focus of previous rallies – saw shops closed and police sporadically firing tear gas at small crowds that had gathered.
Local politician John Kwenya expressed frustration over businesses shuttering, telling AFP there was “no alarm”, despite instances of looting last Thursday.
“They are scared. I told people to open their businesses, but most have fear, they even moved their goods from the shops.”
“This is economic sabotage. The last protest wasn’t Gen-Zs, they were goons,” Kwenya said, referring to Thursday’s rally.
But elsewhere in the country, Kenyan TV showed larger crowds marching in the coastal opposition stronghold Mombasa, with smaller rallies and a heavy police presence in Kisumu, Nakuru and Nyeri.
