Nairobi is locked down as Kenyan police clash with protesters and 10 are killed

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Police in Kenya clashed with demonstrators Monday during the latest anti-government protests, killing 10 people, according to the state-funded human rights commission. Authorities blocked major roads leading into the capital, Nairobi, and most businesses closed amid the strictest measures yet to contain the unrest.

Protesters lit bonfires and threw stones at police. Police fired and hurled tear gas canisters, injuring demonstrators. Young men carried another man, his shirt drenched in blood, saying he had been shot. The protests were reported in 17 of 47 counties.

Kenyan youth and others for weeks have been protesting police brutality and poor governance while demanding President William Ruto’s resignation over alleged corruption and the high cost of living.

July 7, known as Saba Saba, is a significant date in Kenya’s history, marking the first major protests 35 years ago that called on then-President Daniel arap Moi — Ruto’s mentor — for a transition from a one-party state to a multiparty democracy, which was realized in the 1992 elections. Saba Saba is Swahili for Seven Seven.

Police officers on Monday stopped private and public vehicles from accessing Nairobi’s city center. They also blocked most pedestrians from entering the capital, only allowing those deemed to have essential duties. Roads leading to parliament — stormed in a protest last year — and the president’s office were barricaded using razor wire.

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“There is no reversing the Gen Z Saba Saba-like spirit,” said Macharia Munene, professor of history and international relations at United States International University Africa in Nairobi. “Attempt to criminalize protests is reactive and will not work. It instead makes the government appear retrogressive and desperate enough to subvert the constitution.”

Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said on Sunday that the government would not tolerate violent protests and police would be deployed to ensure public safety. Last month, Murkomen told police to “shoot on sight” anyone who approaches police stations during protests after several had been burned.

Public Service Minister Geoffrey Ruku had urged all government employees to report to work on Monday, insisting that the demonstrations would not disrupt public services.

In Kitengela town in Nairobi’s outskirts, police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who had lit bonfires on the road that connects to neighboring Tanzania.

“They have blocked the roads, blocking us from our work. I am a roadside vendor and I am supposed to get to town and buy merchandise to sell along the road,” said protester Caleb Okoth. “What do they want us to eat? People are being beaten like dogs for protesting for their rights.”

Kenya’s latest wave of violent demonstrations was sparked by calls for police accountability following the death of a blogger in police custody last month. During protests on June 17, a police officer shot a civilian at close range, further angering the public.

On June 25, at least 19 people were killed and more than 400 injured during protests against police brutality that were timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of anti-tax protests where parliament was stormed and over 60 people lost their lives.