Police in Kenya Use Tear Gas to Break Up New Protests Calling for the President to Resign

BY EVELYNE MUSAMBI

10:41 AM EDT, July 16, 2024

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Police in Kenya hurled tear gas canisters on Tuesday to break up protests in Nairobi and several other towns and cities accusing the president of poor governance and demanding his resignation, despite his dismissal of nearly the entire Cabinet last week.

Businesses in Nairobi remained closed for fear of a repeat of the looting that occurred during demonstrations last week, when protesters stormed into Parliament and several were killed by police.

Demonstrators blocked major roads including the highway to Namanga on the outskirts of Nairobi, where they lit bonfires on Tuesday morning. Demonstrations were also reported in the towns of Mombasa, Kisumu and Eldoret.

The protests came five days after President William Ruto dismissed all but one Cabinet minister and promised to form a broad-based, lean and efficient government in response to the protesters’ demands.

The head of the police, who have been accused of brutality toward the demonstrators, resigned on Friday but protesters remained adamant that they will continue until the president steps down.

Protests began on June 18 calling for the sacking of Cabinet ministers over incompetence, corruption and displays of opulence while ordinary people suffered from a cost-of-living crisis. Protesters stormed parliament on June 25 after legislators passed a finance bill that would raise taxes. Police opened fire, killing several people.

President Ruto said he would not sign the bill after listening to the protesters, but demonstrations continued with calls for him to resign.

Activists who have been urging people to join the protests say they are spontaneous and no group is leading or funding them.

One protester, Daniel Wambua, on Tuesday said the president has not adequately addressed governance issues raised by those demonstrating.

“We are asking genuine questions. Where is accountability? Where is governance?” he said.

The Kenya National Commission for Human Rights said that since June 18, 50 people have died in the protests, while 59 others were abducted and are missing.

Musambi is an Associated Press reporter based in Nairobi, Kenya. She covers regional security, geopolitics, trade relations and foreign policy across East Africa.