Kenyans stage anti-government protests one year after storming parliament

Nairobi. Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets on Wednesday to mark the one-year anniversary of anti-government protests that killed at least 60 people and culminated in the storming of the national parliament.

Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the capital Nairobi and blocked incoming traffic towards the central business district, the epicentre of the protests, according to local television stations and a Reuters witness.

Marches in the port city of Mombasa and the city of Nakuru proceeded peacefully.

Although last year's protests against proposed tax increases eventually faded after President William Ruto withdrew the planned hikes, public anger over the use of force by security agencies has not abated, with fresh demonstrations, opens new tab erupting this month over the death of a blogger in police custody.

Six people, including three police officers, were charged with murder on Tuesday over the killing of 31-year-old blogger and teacher, Albert Ojwang. All have pleaded not guilty.

The death of Ojwang has become a lightning rod for Kenyans still mourning the deaths of protesters killed at last year's demonstrations, blamed on security forces, along with rights groups claims of dozens of unexplained abductions.

Members of the public and opposition leaders placed wreaths near razor wire barriers outside parliament on Wednesday.

"A year later, nothing has happened," Kalonzo Musyoka, leader of the opposition Wiper Party, told reporters, criticising the government over its perceived failure to address protesters' concerns.

The interior ministry in a post on X on Tuesday warned demonstrators not to "provoke police" or "attempt to breach protected areas."

'REFRAIN FROM VIOLENCE'

The unprecedented scenes on June 25, 2024, showing police firing at protesters as they broke through barriers to enter parliament, created the biggest crisis of Ruto's presidency and sparked alarm among Kenya's international allies.

"No amount of compensation will fill that vacuum. No amount of money will replace Rex," Gillian Munyau, mother of Rex Kanyike Masai, one of the first demonstrators killed last year, said in an interview on NTV Kenya television.

On Tuesday, the embassies of the United States, Britain, Canada and other Western nations released a joint statement on X urging all to "facilitate peaceful demonstrations and to refrain from violence."

"The use of plain-clothed officers in unmarked vehicles erodes public trust," the statement said.

Rights campaigners condemned the presence of unidentified police officers at protests last year.

The embassies said they were troubled by the use of hired "goons" to disrupt peaceful demonstrations, after Reuters reporters saw groups of men beating protesters with sticks and whips last week.

Kenya's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday that any policing violations would be addressed through government institutions including parliament and the judiciary.

The counter-protesters have defended their actions, telling Reuters that they are not goons but rather patriots protecting property from looters.

Two police officers were arrested last week over the shooting of an unarmed civilian during a protest in Nairobi over the death of Ojwang, the blogger.