NEWS
Kenyan police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the nation’s capital, Nairobi on Thursday following youth-led anger unleashed from June against President William Ruto government’s policies, especially the controversial Finance Bill 2024.
The president has since withdrawn the bill and reconstituted his cabinet, which was inaugurated on Thursday, including some opposition figures.
However, the protesters were still calling for Ruto’s resignation over bad governance, corruption and because the new cabinet still contains members of the old team.
Many businesses were closed in Nairobi, while the President’s office, where the new cabinet ministers were sworn in remained cordoned off.
Other major Kenyan towns and cities including Kisumu, an opposition stronghold, which previously witnessed protests, were relatively calm on Thursday.
At least 60 people have been reported killed during the protests, which reached a crescendo on June 25, with human rights groups accusing security forces of brutality, and claiming that some protesters were being detained or missing.