Kenya police open fire on protesters during Saba Saba demonstrations in Nairobi

Kenyan police opened fire on a crowd of advancing protesters in Nairobi on Monday, a Reuters reporter said, as scattered demonstrations broke out across the country to mark the 35th anniversary of pro-democracy rallies.

One man was subsequently seen lying motionless on the road with a bloody wound in the latest demonstrations to hit Kenya since the death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody last month gave fresh impetus to public protests.

Police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Authorities have ramped up police deployments in Nairobi since youth-led protests in June 2024 that initially focused on tax hikes but expanded to cover issues such as graft, police brutality and unexplained disappearances of government critics.

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A Reuters reporter saw police use tear gas and water cannon on Monday to disperse crowds along a key artery in Nairobi as hundreds of demonstrators advanced. Some blew whistles as they marched in Kangemi, a northwestern suburb of the capital.

Hours later, protesters and police scuffled, with police opening fire on the crowd, according to the Reuters reporter.

There were other demonstrations around the East African country, local media said, including in the towns of Nyeri, Embu and the lakeside city of Nakuru, where half a dozen police officers mounted on horses dispersed stone-throwing protesters.

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

“We are not ready to go back (home) because who will fight for our rights then? We will be here till evening,” Francis Waswa, a construction worker, told Reuters.

‘High alert’

Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, who last month described the protests as “terrorism disguised as dissent”, said on his X account 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.

Unidentified people forced their way into the offices of the non-profit Kenya Human Rights Commission on Sunday to stop a press conference ahead of Monday’s protests.

At least one person, a board member, was injured, said Ernest Cornel, who works at the commission.

Activists rally every year on July 7 to mark the date in 1990 when opponents of then-president Daniel Arap Moi launched a bid to transform Kenya into a multiparty democracy. The protest is called “Saba Saba” - “seven seven” in Kiswahili - because of the date.

The 1990 protests paved the way for multi-party elections two years later, the first such polls in more than two decades.

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

The government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said 19 people lost their lives nationwide during demonstrations on June 25 to protest Ojwang’s death and mark the one-year anniversary of rallies that culminated in the storming of parliament.

Prosecutors approved murder charges against six people, including three police officers, over Ojwang’s death. All six suspects have pleaded not guilty.