Kenya: the opposition calls for new mobilizations, a protester killed

March 20, 2023

A protester was killed by police in western Kenya on Monday, in a day of clashes between law enforcement and opposition supporters, who called for new weekly protests against inflation and the government.

This is the first major unrest since the coming to power of William Ruto, victorious in the very tight presidential election last August, the result disputed by his unfortunate rival Odinga who continues to affirm that it was “stolen” and that the Ruto government is “illegitimate”.

In Maseno, one of the opposition strongholds in the west of the country, the police, short of tear gas, “fired live ammunition”, killing William Mayange, a student, after demonstrators “started throwing stones on the police line” and damaged the windows of ten houses and the police station,” police said in a statement.

Six police officers were also injured, she added.

The governor of the region, Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, a member of Mr. Odinga’s party, denounced in a press release “a murder in cold blood” and called for the arrest and prosecution of the police officer involved.

In the capital Nairobi, police fired tear gas at the convoy of opposition leader Raila Odinga, who told his supporters to rally every Monday.

“Every Monday there will be a strike, there will be a protest. The war has started, it will not end until Kenyans get their rights,” said 78-year-old Odinga.

Mr. Odinga’s spokesperson, Dennis Onyango, accused AFP of having fired live ammunition at Mr. Odinga’s car, without it being possible to verify this information independently.

Demonstrations in the capital against inflation, which rose to 9.2% year on year in February, were banned by the authorities on Sunday for failure to meet the filing deadline.

Clashes erupted between demonstrators, who threw stones, and security forces who used tear gas and water cannons in some areas of the capital and at least one other city, correspondents have noted. AFP.

Protest organizers had planned to march to State House, the presidential palace, in central Nairobi, where around 20 protesters were arrested, including two parliamentarians from Mr Odinga’s party.

“They lie to us every day. Where is the cheap maize flour they promised? Where are the youth jobs they promised? All they do is hire their friends,” denounced Charles Oduor, a 21-year-old protester.

Clashes also took place in Kibera, Nairobi’s largest slum, and Kisumu, another Raila Odinga stronghold in the west of the country.

“Our victory has been stolen from us and we are determined to get it back. We cannot sit idly by as life gets harder and harder. We want Raila at State House” (the president’s residence, editor’s note), launched a protester in Kisumu, Kevin Ojwang.

In addition to price hikes, Kenyans are suffering from the sharp fall in the shilling against the US dollar and a record drought that has plunged millions into starvation.

Some criticize the protests, however. “We are six months after the elections, why the protests? Raila should retire peacefully,” said one of them, Jackson Mwangi.

Vice President Rigathi Gachagua asked “organizers to reflect” and “to put an end to the chaos so that those who have not opened their businesses and shops do so this afternoon”. The protests have already cost 2 billion shillings, about 14 million euros, he said.

Many businesses in Nairobi were closed before the protests and some companies had asked their employees to favor teleworking.

The head of state had risen this weekend against calls to demonstrate from his opponent. “You are not going to threaten us with ultimatums, chaos and impunity. We will not allow it,” said William Ruto, 56, asking Raila Odinga to act through “legal and constitutional” means .

The appeal brought after the presidential election by Raila Odinga, who was running for the fifth time at the head of the country and complained of fraud, was rejected by the Supreme Court.