The call of the Kenyan opposition to demonstrate for a second consecutive day against the high cost of living and the government was little followed Thursday, with a relative return to normal in the streets of the country and some isolated incidents in the capital Nairobi.
This eighth day of action organized by the Azimio coalition was one of the least tense of the movement initiated in March, which sometimes gave rise to looting and violence that left around twenty dead, according to official sources.
On Thursday, sporadic scuffles took place in the Kibera slum, Nairobi’s stronghold of opposition leader Raila Odinga, where police responded to stone-throwing with tear gas and live ammunition, AFP journalists said.
No other major incidents were reported.
This day was part of an unprecedented call for three days of mobilization, from Wednesday to Friday.
The Interior Ministry said calm had returned to the country on Thursday, “with the exception of a few cases of looting and violence by small gangs of criminals”.
More than 300 people arrested on Wednesday have been brought to justice in six provinces, he said in a statement.
In fear of overflows, Kenya had been idling on Wednesday. Clashes between police and demonstrators took place in several cities, killing six people according to Amnesty International.
But activity and traffic resumed Thursday in many cities.
In the business center of Nairobi, “today it’s almost normal, not yet normal, but we’re getting close to it”, summarized Thursday morning Charles Muru, 51, who reopened his kiosk selling books and newspapers closed the day before. “The demonstrations must stop” because they paralyze the country and “hurt”, he believes.
Schools, closed Wednesday in the three main cities (Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu) by order of the government, have reopened.
Elected in August 2022 on a promise to support the most disadvantaged, President William Ruto faces growing opposition.
He is notably accused of adding to the difficulties of Kenyans, already struggling with continuous inflation (8% over one year in June), with a law enacted in early July introducing new taxes.
“Protests and protests are not a solution,” he repeated Thursday, thanking “the police for the work they do to protect lives and property”.
Amnesty denounced in a statement “the use of excessive, unnecessary and unlawful force, including lethal force” by law enforcement.
The leader of the opposition in the Assembly, Opiyo Wandayi, was also indignant at “an unprecedented level of police violence”.
Believing that their country “is on the edge of the precipice”, Kenyan dailies published a joint call for dialogue on Thursday.
Ruto and Odinga “must be wondering if they want more blood on their hands,” they wrote, emphasizing, “The sparks of the fire have been ignited, and it is the two of them who bear the great responsibility of putting out the fire before it spirals out of control.”
These repeated days of action weigh heavily on the finances of Kenyans and the country’s economy.
According to an association of private sector organizations (Kepsa), each represents a loss of 3 billion shillings (about 19 million euros).
“It has to stop because it’s very bad for the economy,” said Godfrey Mononyi, a 45-year-old urban planner who returned to work Thursday in central Nairobi.
On the sidelines of the clashes in Kibera, some residents armed with sticks stood guard to prevent looting. “Yesterday (Wednesday), five stores were looted. We are here to prevent that from happening today. We are fed up,” said one of them, Jacob Anyango.
For Edgar Githua, lecturer at Strathmore University in Nairobi, “calling for three days of protests (in) a week is too much” for “Kenyans who live hand to mouth”.
“If these demonstrations continue like this (…) with a lot of violence and looting, they will lose their meaning and even the leaders will end up losing their credibility,” he warns.
Raila Odinga had canceled demonstrations planned for April and May, after William Ruto had agreed to dialogue. The talks broke down, leading to the resumption of shares since early July.
20/07/2023 18:52:18 – Nairobi (AFP) – © 2023 AFP