Eleven dead and dozens injured in Kenya anti-government protests

By Humphrey Malalo

NAIROBI (Reuters) -Kenyan police fired to disperse demonstrators in Nairobi marking the 35th anniversary of pro-democracy rallies on Monday, and police said 11 people were killed nationwide in the latest anti-government protests to end in bloodshed.

The death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody last month has given the protests fresh impetus, fuelling anger against the authorities and bringing hundreds onto the streets.

A Reuters reporter saw police fire at advancing protesters in the Nairobi suburb of Kangemi, with one man later lying motionless on the road with a bleeding wound.

The suburb's Eagle Nursing Home said six people had been admitted with injuries, and that two had died from gunshot wounds. A source at Kenyatta National Hospital said it was treating 24 injured people, but did not elaborate on their injuries.

ARMED GANGS ALONGSIDE POLICE

Kenya's police said 11 people had died, while 52 officers had been injured. It did not say who was responsible for the killings.

"Preliminary reports indicate fatalities, injuries, damage to motor vehicles, and several incidents of looting," police said in a statement.

Law enforcers have been deploying heavily in Nairobi since youth-led protests in June 2024 that initially focused on tax hikes but expanded to cover issues such as corruption, police brutality and unexplained disappearances of government critics.

Police used tear gas and water cannons on Monday to disperse hundreds of demonstrators advancing along a road connecting Kangemi to downtown Nairobi.

Hours later, protesters and police scuffled, and a Reuters reporter saw police opening fire as the crowd charged at them.

The government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said it saw "numerous hooded officers, not in uniform, travelling in unmarked vehicles".

A court order requires police to be easily identifiable following allegations that plain clothes police fired live rounds at demonstrators last year.

KNCHR also said criminal gangs wielding whips and machetes appeared to be operating alongside police in Nairobi and the Rift Valley town of Eldoret.

Local media said there had been demonstrations in the towns of Nyeri, Embu and the lakeside city of Nakuru, where half a dozen police on horseback dispersed stone-throwing protesters.

Police had blocked major roads leading into Nairobi and restricted traffic within the city, leaving streets deserted but for the demonstrators, who arrived on foot. Most schools and at least one shopping mall were shut in anticipation of trouble.

'HIGH ALERT'

Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, who last month described the protests as "terrorism disguised as dissent", said on Sunday that the government was committed to protecting life and property.

"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.

Activists rally every July 7 to mark the day in 1990 when opponents of then-president Daniel Arap Moi launched a bid to turn Kenya into a multi-party democracy.

The protest is called "Saba Saba" - "Seven Seven" in Kiswahili - because of the date.

Those protests paved the way two years later for the first multi-party elections in more than two decades.

The death of 31-year-old Ojwang, a blogger and teacher, has focused public anger, sparking a string of demonstrations last month.

On June 25, according to the Commission, 19 people lost their lives nationwide in demonstrations to protest against Ojwang's death and mark the first anniversary of rallies that culminated in the storming of parliament.

Six people including three police officers have been charged with murder over Ojwang's death. All have pleaded 'Not guilty'.

(Reporting by George Obulutsa, Edwin Okoth, Edwin Waita, Humphrey Malolo; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly, Sharon Singleton and Gareth Jones, Mark Heinrich and David Gregorio)