Police blocked major roads leading to Nairobi and heavily restricted vehicle traffic, as the country braced for protests to mark the anniversary of pro-democracy rallies on Monday.
Activists rally each year on July 7 to mark the date in 1990 when opponents of then-president Daniel Arap Moi launched a bid to transform the country into a multiparty democracy. The protest is called “Saba Saba” – “seven seven” in Kiswahili because of the date.
This year’s rally comes after largely youth-led protests in June last year that initially focused on tax hikes but expanded to cover issues such as corruption, police brutality and unexplained disappearances of government critics.
Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said on Sunday, “The government is committed to protecting life and property during protests.
“Our security agencies are on high alert to deal decisively with criminals and other elements of ill intent who may seek to infiltrate peaceful processions to cause havoc, mayhem, or destruction of property,” he said.
On Sunday, unidentified people forced their way into the offices of the non-profit Kenya Human Rights Commission to stop a press conference ahead of today’s protests.
At least one person, a board member, was injured, Ernest Cornel, who works at the commission said.
The death of Albert Ojwang, a teacher and blogger, in police custody in June gave fresh impetus to protests, with the government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reporting 19 deaths across the country during demonstrations last month.
Reuters/Kamila