More than 270 arrested in Kenya anti-government protests | Protests News

Police say the protests were hijacked by “suspects” engaged in “criminal activities.”

Kenyan police have arrested more than 270 people they say were posing as protesters and suspected of committing criminal acts during anti-government rallies in the country.

“Security forces across the country have identified suspects involved in criminal activities under the guise of protest and taken them into custody,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) said in a statement published on X on Tuesday evening.

According to the statement, 204 suspects were arrested in Nairobi, the capital, and 68 others in other parts of the country.

“The DCI has further deployed diligent investigators to the affected areas to pursue suspects caught on CCTV cameras and mobile phone recordings robbing, stealing and violently destroying properties and businesses of innocent citizens,” the statement added.

During today's protests, which saw significant property destroyed by various criminal elements, security forces across the country identified suspects involved in criminal activities under the guise of protest and took them into custody.

In Nairobi and its environs, 204… pic.twitter.com/pHEbGvjggo

— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) July 2, 2024

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki also condemned the protests, calling them an “orgy of violence”, warning that the government would take action against anyone engaging in “lawless mayhem and vicious looting”.

“This reign of terror against the Kenyan people and the impunity of dangerous criminal gangs must end at all costs,” he said.

Riot police fired tear gas and charged at stone-throwing protesters in central Nairobi and across Kenya on Tuesday, part of widespread unrest since at least two dozen demonstrators died in clashes last week.

The protests began against a controversial finance bill that included new taxes, adding to the hardships of a population already facing a cost-of-living crisis.

Although President William Ruto later dropped the measure, protesters have since called for his resignation as part of a broader campaign against his rule, using the hashtag “RutoMustGo”.

They also rejected his calls for dialogue.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said 39 people were killed and 361 injured during two weeks of rallies, with the most serious violence occurring in Nairobi on June 25.

The KNCHR also condemned the use of force against protesters on Monday, calling it “excessive and disproportionate.”

In Mombasa, Milan Waudo told Reuters news agency: “People are dying in the streets and the only thing he can talk about is money. We are not money. We are people. We are human beings.”

“He [Ruto] “He has to care about his people, because if he can't care about his people, then we don't need him in this position.”

According to Zein Brasravi, an Al Jazeera journalist in Nairobi, these rallies are a “reflection” of the anger felt by the population following the deaths of the protesters.

“The protesters here say they feel their voices are still not being heard and the government still does not understand why they are coming out and protesting,” he said Wednesday.

Activists blamed Tuesday's violence on infiltrators they said were released by the government to discredit their movement and said it was now time to disperse.

However, new protests have been called for Thursday and Sunday.