At least ten people died in Kenya Monday as security forces clashed with protesters on the outskirts of Nairobi during anti-government demonstrations marking Saba Saba Day, a commemoration of the 1990 pro-democracy uprising. Hundreds of people were arrested, and a rights group accused police of cooperating with criminal gangs.
Much of central Nairobi was deserted on Monday, as a heavy security presence was deployed ahead of demonstrations to mark Saba Saba Day, a commemoration of 7 July 1990, when Kenyans rose up to demand multi-party democracy after years of autocratic rule by then-president Daniel arap Moi.
Small groups of demonstrators gathered on the outskirts of the city in the afternoon, and riot police fired teargas as some crowds threw rocks back and engaged in looting.
11 killed, 567 arrested
The National Police Service (NPS) said in a statement late Monday that 11 people were killed, and 11 civilians and 52 police officers were wounded
A police spokesperson said that 567 people had been arrested during the protests, but did not provide any further details.
The Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said it had documented 29 deaths, without giving details.
In a statement it noted the presence of "criminal gangs wielding crude weapons, including whips, wooden clubs, machetes, spears, bows and arrows" during the protests in numerous areas, and in Nairobi "these hooded gangs were seen operating alongside police officers".
An NPS spokesperson, Michael Muchiri, told the AFP news agency that the KNCHR statements "may lack factualness many times over", insisting that the police "would never work alongside individuals called 'goons' or criminal elements".
Young Kenyans
Kipchumba Murkomen, the interior cabinet secretary, said the demonstration and other recent demonstrations had "been infiltrated by criminals out to cause chaos and destruction".
In a statement on X, he said the looting and violence had been "markedly reduced" by the officers' presence, but promised those responsible would be "investigated and charged".
Young Kenyans, frustrated over economic stagnation, corruption and police brutality, have bee demonstrating, but facing a crackdown by police with at least 80 people killed in protests since June of last year, and dozens arrested.
Last month, demonstrations on 25 June to mark the peak of last year’s deadly anti-government rallies, degenerated into violence and looting, with 19 people killed, according to rights groups.
Protesters have accused the authorities of paying armed vandals to discredit their movement, while the government called June's demonstrations an "attempted coup".
(with AFP)
