Ministry Reports Hundreds Arrested in Aftermath of Protests in Kenya
Ministry Reports Hundreds Arrested in Aftermath of Protests in Kenya
On Thursday, the interior ministry of Kenya reported that more than 300 people, including a politician, had been detained in the wake of violent anti-government rallies that claimed seven lives.
On Wednesday, regions of the country in East Africa saw violent violence and looting as citizens defied a government prohibition and flocked to the streets to protest tax increases and economic difficulties.
Police have come under fire for their harsh reaction and for firing tear gas against civilians, notably at a school where scores of kids were sent to the hospital.
The rallies were organized by the leader of the opposition, Raila Odinga, who promised to continue the demonstrations until cost-of-living constraints subsided.
However, according to the interior ministry, "acts of lawlessness... cannot be accepted or tolerated."
"There is no connection between cutting living expenses and destroying vital infrastructure that was created with public money. That is a formula for disorder, lawlessness, and hooliganism, according to Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki.
Security personnel are instructed to execute the law strongly and decisively and deal with any criminals who are destroying private or private property, including economic saboteurs, looters, and vandals.
He stated that 312 persons, including a member of parliament, "who directly or indirectly planned, orchestrated, or financed" the protests had been detained and would face charges.
"We're looking for more offenders," he continued.
Seven people have died as a result of the violence after a man was killed in skirmishes between opposing factions in Sondu, which is on the boundary between Kericho and Kisumu, the latter of which is an Odinga stronghold.
Geoffrey Mayek, the police chief in Kericho, told AFP that "one person succumbed to injuries at the hospital."
Six more people died as police opened fire on protesters in the towns of Emali along the Mombasa route, as well as in the Nairobi suburbs of Mlolongo and Kitengela.
Numerous kids from Nairobi's Kangemi slum were taken to the hospital, some of them unconscious, after tear gas was shot close to their classrooms.
An official state body, the National Gender and Equality Commission, sharply denounced the occurrence.
Schoolchildren, who ought to be protected from such disorder, were sadly caught in the crossfire, it stated, denouncing the protest-related destruction and rights violations.
After losing to William Ruto in the presidential election last August — a result he alleges was "stolen" — Odinga organized a number of anti-government protests this year.
Six people were killed during protests last week across numerous cities.
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