Kenyan police have fired tear gas to disperse small groups of anti-government protesters in the capital Nairobi, demanding better governance as a new cabinet is sworn in.
Businesses in the city were closed and public transport was paralysed, while police set up roadblocks on major roads to prevent protesters from entering the central business district.
The demonstrations are a continuation of months of anti-tax protests, which have now escalated to calls for the president to cut taxes. Willem Ruto resign.
The youth-led protests have already forced the president to withdraw planned additional taxes and dissolve his cabinet.
Mr Ruto has appointed senior opposition officials to his cabinet, in an attempt to quell growing public anger against his government.
He gave four posts to the opposition, including the powerful ministries of Finance and Energy.
The new cabinet was sworn in on Thursday morning amid a large security presence at the president’s official residence, State House, which was threatened by protesters.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Ruto said the new government “cannot and must not abandon Kenyans”.
He described his new team as an “alliance of rivals” in a country that has long struggled with “factional and sectarian competition”.
“More than ever, it is clear that we are fully united by a shared commitment to ensuring a prosperous Kenya that serves us all,” Mr Ruto added.
About half of the ministers were in his previous cabinet. This move has further angered the protesters, who are demanding a complete break with the past.
They rejected the new cabinet, which they believed would only maintain the negotiating position of the Kenyan political elite.
Riot police patrolled the streets of Nairobi on Thursday morning, but only a few dozen protesters turned out compared to previous protests, such as the one that saw parliament set on fire.
Several people were arrested as police dispersed small groups of youths trying to gather for the protest, dubbed the “Nane Nane March” (meaning “8 August March” in Swahili).
The streets of Nairobi appeared largely quiet with a few people going about their daily activities.
Major cities, including the lakeside city of Kisumu – an opposition stronghold – and Eldoret – Ruto’s birthplace – where protests have previously taken place, remained calm.
On Wednesday, acting police chief Gilbert Masengeli warned that “criminals” were planning to infiltrate the protests and urged people to avoid “protected areas” such as the main international airport and the State House.
More than 50 people have been killed since the protests began in June, according to the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.
Former police chief Japhet Koome, who was accused of using brutal tactics in dealing with the protesters, resigned last month.
This did not satisfy the protesters, who demanded justice for the victims, who have vowed to continue demonstrating until the president steps down.
Ruto came to power on a campaign promise to improve the lives of Kenya’s poor, especially the youth known as “hustlers,” and defeated his main rival Raila Odinga by a narrow margin in the 2022 election.
But now he is caught between the demands of the “con men”, who are facing a cost of living crisis, and international lenders who are demanding that his government pay off its huge national debt.
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