At least eight killed and hundreds hurt as Kenya protesters battle police

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At least eight killed and hundreds hurt as Kenya protesters battle police

At least eight people were killed and 400 injured while thousands of people went down to the street during a day of demonstrations across Kenya against the government of President William Ruto.

Police clashed with demonstrators in the capital Nairobi and other cities exactly a year after the wave of fatal anti-government demonstrations that hit the nation in 2024.

Many of those who demonstrated “Ruto must go” and have signaled branches as a symbol of the peaceful opposition to his reign.

The government has prohibited live television and radio coverage of demonstrations, but its decree was canceled by the high court of the capital, Nairobi.

Ruto urged demonstrators not to threaten peace and stability, while crowds were trying to reach his official residence but were pushed by police.

“The demonstrations should not be to destroy peace in Kenya. We do not have another country where to go when things go wrong. It is our responsibility to keep our country safe,” he said.

The president spoke during a funeral ceremony in the coastal county of Kilifi.

His absence of State House, his official residence, was notable because the young demonstrators threatened with the assault.

The police used barricades and a razor thread to seal the main roads – in particular those leading to the state house and the parliament.

The authorities have not yet experienced figures from victims of Wednesday demonstrations, but Kenya Medical Association, the Barrey Society of Kenya and the working group of police reform declared in a joint declaration that at least eight demonstrators had been killed.

Of the 400 injured, 83 required “specialized treatment” and eight had been shot wounds. The injured included three police officers, added the statement.

A human rights group – Amnesty Kenya – left the number of deaths as high as 16.

A demonstrator, Amina Mude, told the BBC that she had joined the demonstrations “to fight for the future of my children”.

“I have the impression that as a country, we are not going in the right direction, especially in education and everything that is happening.

“I have the impression that it is high time that the country and leadership listen to us.”

In Nairobi, video sequences have shown that plumes of white tear gas deriving between buildings, sending demonstrators rushing to hide, coughing and protecting their eyes.

In the heart of the city, demonstrators have exceeded stores and empty streets.

The fence around the Parliament was bordered by crowns and handwritten notes of mourning families and provocative young people – a reminder of last year’s troubles on the site.

A young woman draped in a Kenyan flag tightened a poster bearing the names of the people killed a year ago by the security forces when they were trying to end the demonstrations.