More than 270 arrested in Kenya anti-government protests Kenyan police have arrested more than 270 people they accuse of posing as protesters and committing criminal acts during anti-government protests in the country.
“Security forces across the country have identified suspects engaged in criminal activities under the pretext of protesting and detained them,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said in a statement released on X late Tuesday evening.
She said 204 suspects were arrested in Nairobi, the capital, and 68 others in other parts of the country.
“The DCI has further deployed meticulous investigators to the affected areas to pursue suspects caught on CCTV cameras and mobile phone recordings stealing, looting and destroying properties and businesses of innocent citizens,” the statement added.
Home Secretary Kithure Kindiki also condemned the protests, calling them an “orgy of violence,” and warned that the government would take action against anyone engaging in “lawless chaos and vicious looting.”
“This reign of terror against the Kenyan people and the impunity of dangerous criminal gangs must end at all costs,” he said.
Riot police fired tear gas and charged stone-throwing protesters in central Nairobi and across Kenya on Tuesday, in widespread unrest since at least two dozen demonstrators died in clashes last week.
The protests began against a controversial financial bill that contained new taxes, adding to the hardships of people already facing a cost-of-living crisis.
Although President William Ruto later dropped the measure, protesters have since called for his resignation as part of a broader campaign against his government, using the hashtag “RutoMustGo”. They have also rejected his calls for dialogue.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said 39 people had been killed and 361 injured in two weeks of protests, with the most serious violence occurring in Nairobi on June 25.
The KNCHR also condemned the use of force against protesters on Monday as “excessive and disproportionate.”
In Mombasa, Milan Waudo told Reuters news agency: “People are dying in the streets, and the only thing he talks about is money. We are not money. We are human beings.
« Il [Ruto] must care about his people, because if he can’t care about his people, we don’t need him in this position.”
Reporting from Nairobi, Al Jazeera’s Zein Brasravi said the protests were a “reflection” of the anger felt by the public following the deaths of protesters.
“The protesters here say they feel like their voices are still not being heard and that the government still doesn’t understand why they are coming out and protesting,” he said Wednesday.
Activists blamed Tuesday’s violence on infiltrators they say were unleashed by the government to discredit their movement and said it was now time to disperse.
However, further demonstrations have been called for Thursday and Sunday.
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