NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Police in Kenya threw tear gas canisters Tuesday to break up protests in Nairobi and several other cities, accusing the president of misgovernance and demanding his resignation despite the fact that he fired almost the entire cabinet last week.
Businesses in Nairobi remained closed amid fears of a repeat of the looting that occurred during last week’s protests, when protesters stormed the parliament building and several people were killed by police.
Protesters blocked major roads, including the Nairobi-Namanga highway on the outskirts of Nairobi, where they lit bonfires on Tuesday morning. Protests were also reported in the cities of Mombasa, Kisumu and Eldoret.
The protests took place five days after the presidential election. Willem Ruto dismissed all but one minister and promised to form a broad, lean and efficient government in response to the protesters’ demands.
The police chief, accused of brutality against protesters, resigned on Friday, but protesters continued to insist they would continue until the president steps down.
Protests began on June 18, calling for the resignation of ministers over incompetence, corruption and displays of opulence, while ordinary people suffered from a cost-of-living crisis. On June 25, protesters stormed parliament after lawmakers passed a finance bill that would have raised taxes. Police opened fire, killing several people.
President Ruto said he would not sign the bill after listening to the protesters, but the demonstrations continued and there were calls for him to resign.
Activists calling on people to join the protests say the protests are spontaneous and that no group is leading or financing the protests.
According to the Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights, 39 people have been killed in the protests since June 18 and 32 have been abducted or gone missing.
