Kenyan security battles protesters in Nairobi

Security Personnel on Wednesday in Nairobi; Photo Credit BBC. PHOTO

Nairobi, Uganda |INDT | Police and thousands of protesters were on Wednesday engaged in running battles in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi and other cities. The protestors are marking one year since last year’s deadly protests against the controversial Finance Bill.

The demonstrators gathered in major urban centres including Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, and Kisumu. They lit Bonfires and blocked the Naivasha-Nakuru Highway, causing significant traffic disruptions.

In Nairobi, some sections of the city centre and roads leading to the State House were barricaded with razor wire, while Parliament was surrounded by a heavy presence of the police and army. The protesters, mostly youth, were waving Kenyan flags and placards, while chanting “Ruto must go”.

There are reports that atleast 50 people were injured in the protests in Nairobi.

Earlier, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) banned all television and radio stations from providing live coverage of the protests, citing constitutional and legal violations. The directive was issued by CA Director General David Mugonyi, who also said that failure to comply with the directive would attract regulatory action.

According to the Kenyan Editors Guild, the privately owned NTV and KTN stations were raided and their transmission centres and signals switched off.

In a statement, the Guild condemned the action, which it says is a gross violation of the constitution and press freedom. They said that live coverage is not a threat but a civil duty to ensure accountability and transparency.