Kenya New Opposition Protests Result to Violent, 1 Person Dies
A hospital in Kenya reported that a young man was shot dead on Monday as anti-government demonstrations became more violent, with police shooting tear gas at opposition leader Raila Odinga‘s van and his followers, and looters rampaging.
Accusing President William Ruto of stealing the election from the previous year and failing to rein in the rising cost of living, the seasoned politician has called for demonstrations every Monday and Thursday.
The demonstrators disregarded the Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome’s warning that the rallies in Nairobi and Kisumu, the home of Odinga, were “illegal.”
On March 27, 2023, amid scuffles in Nairobi, Kenya, supporters of the opposition threw stones at Kenya Police officers. (AFP photo by Luis Tato)
The administrator of Kisumu’s main hospital confirmed to AFP that a man had been shot and killed, making him the second fatality since the protests began last Monday when a university student was slain by police fire.
“There was one fatal shooting. George Rae, CEO of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching & Referral Hospital, stated simply, “He is unknown and he is a young man.
To disperse protestors, police used tear gas in Nairobi and Kisumu, firing canisters at vehicles carrying journalists in the city.
As Odinga’s convoy passed through a crowded Nairobi neighborhood, police also deployed tear gas and water cannon, which caused residents to flee for cover.
Prices need to fall.
“How many people back the protests? How many of you here believe that the price of essential goods, such as cooking oil, school fees, and maize flour, should decrease? When supporters surrounded his car, Odinga spoke.
The largest slum in the city, Kibera, saw clashes as well, with protestors burning tires and gangs attacking reporters.
According to local network NTV, hundreds of thieves swarmed to former president Uhuru Kenyatta’s sizable farm outside of Nairobi and stole sheep and cut down trees before putting a portion of the property on fire.
After a disagreement with his former deputy Ruto, Kenyatta supported Odinga’s bid for the presidency in August of last year.
According to him, gangs in Nairobi also targeted Odinga’s gas company, Spectre International Ltd.
They are timid. They have dispatched goons to raid Uhuru Kenyatta’s and my company’s land, Odinga claimed.
He continued, “That is an act of folly and ignorance,” blaming the administration for the mayhem.
The largest of all protests
In the ongoing clashes between riot police and protesters last week, 31 officers were hurt, and more than 200 people—including some prominent opposition politicians—were detained.
During the protests last week, Odinga’s convoy was also attacked.
Since Ruto’s inauguration more than six months ago, the demonstrations mark the first significant escalation of political upheaval.
Notwithstanding the police order, Odinga urged Kenyans to participate in “the mother of all demonstrations” on Sunday.
He continued, “I want to let Mr. Ruto and IG Koome know that we are not going to be intimidated. “We won’t be afraid of police or tear gas.”
The Media Council of Kenya denounced the attacks on journalists and issued a warning that they “demean the spirit of popular action as it betrays the fundamentals of democracy on which it is based.”
Ruto has encouraged his adversary to put an end to the protests while he is on a four-day trip to Germany and Belgium.
In a statement on Thursday, he added, “I am asking Raila Odinga that if he has a problem with me, he should face me and quit terrorizing the country.
Bedtime hunger
Many Kenyans are struggling to put food on the table as a result of high prices for necessities, a falling kwacha, a historic drought that has left millions hungry, and high prices for basic products.
“We are the ones who will suffer if the leaders don’t speak up. They are wealthy; we will go to bed hungry, said Collins Kibe, a motorbike taxi driver, to AFP.
Ruto ran for office on a platform of standing up for the oppressed and promising to make life better for regular Kenyans.
Yet, detractors claim he has breached a number of campaign promises and withdrawn subsidies for fuel and maize flour—a essential food.
Despite Ruto’s insistence in January that there would be no increase, Kenya’s energy regulatory agency has likewise announced a rise in electricity tariffs beginning in April.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua estimated that the economy had suffered losses of at least $15 million as a result of last week’s protests.
