Tear gas, arrests as Kenya opposition stages protests

Kenyan riot police fired tear gas and water cannon against opposition leader Raila Odinga’s convoy on Monday, as clashes flared during protests against a punishing cost-of-living crisis.

Running battles erupted between stone-throwing demonstrators and police in parts of the capital Nairobi and at least one other city, in the first major unrest since President William Ruto took office last year, AFP correspondents said.

Police also unleashed volleys of tear gas and water against a motorcade carrying Odinga, who had called for the day of action against Ruto’s government over “skyrocketing” prices and last year’s “stolen” election.

Odinga, who had insisted the demonstrations would go ahead despite not receiving police authorisation, had been due to hold a press conference at a Nairobi hotel but was forced to leave. 

His convoy was then blocked by police from trying to reach the centre of the capital, where much of Monday’s unrest was taking place.

About two dozen people were also arrested in downtown Nairobi, mainly young people but also two opposition MPs, including Senate minority leader Stewart Madzayo, AFP correspondents said.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua called on organisers to call off the “mayhem and the chaos,” saying the protests had cost Kenya about two billion shillings ($150 million) in lost business.

“What they are doing is destroying the economy. We had started showing signs of recovery from the economic downturn,” he said during a visit to the port city of Mombasa.

Odinga, who narrowly lost last year’s election to Ruto, had called on Kenyans to turn out in large numbers to voice their “displeasure” at the surging cost of basic goods and services.

From the early morning, police used tear gas against protesters gathered at a site near government offices in the heart of Nairobi and several other areas of the city.

“We came here peacefully but they tear gassed us,” said Charles Oduor, 21.

“They lie to us everyday. Where is the cheap maize flour they promised? Where are the jobs for the youth they promised? All they do is hire their friends.”

Kenyans are suffering from spiralling prices for fuel, electricity and staple foods, as well as a slump in the value of the shilling against the US dollar and a record drought that has left millions hungry.

‘Life more difficult’

Odinga said he had called the rallies to protest the “skyrocketing” cost of living but also the “stolen” election last August.

In Nairobi’s biggest slum Kibera, a bastion of Odinga support, people set tyres ablaze while police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse protesters.

Demonstrators and police also clashed in the lakeside city of Kisumu in western Kenya, another Odinga stronghold.

Nairobi police chief Adamson Bungei said on Sunday that police received requests to hold two demonstrations only late Saturday and early Sunday, when normally three days’ notice is required.

“For public safety, neither has been granted,” he said.

Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki warned on Sunday that anyone inciting public disorder or disturbing the peace faced prosecution.

‘Fighting for our rights’

Many businesses in Nairobi were shut ahead of the demonstrations, with some employers telling their staff to work from home.

“We are here trying to fight for our rights. Life is so hard. If you see, these young men and women, we don’t have jobs, people are losing their jobs. So that’s why we’re talking about our rights,” said Nairobi shoeshiner Henry Juma, 26.

Odinga, the leader of the Azimio la Umoja party, who described Monday as a “day of destiny,” continues to claim that Ruto’s election win was fraudulent and denounces his government as illegitimate.

According to official results, Odinga — who was making his fifth bid for the presidency — lost to Ruto by around 233,000 votes, one of the slenderest margins in Kenya’s history.

The Supreme Court dismissed his appeals, finding there was no evidence for Odinga’s accusations.

Ruto has declared that he would not be intimidated by the demonstrations, saying: “You are not going to threaten us with ultimatums and chaos and impunity.”

“We will not allow that,” he said, calling on Odinga to act in a “legal and constitutional manner.”