Protester Killed As Crowd Calls For Kenyan Leader To Resign

In Kenya, anti-government protesters have taken to the streets again to demand that President William Ruto step down despite his recent concessions.

One man has been shot dead during a clash between protesters and security forces on the outskirts of the capital, a BBC reporter at the scene said.

Shops in central Nairobi are closed as police fire tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters.

The protests began last month over an unpopular tax law, which has since been withdrawn by the president.

But they have continued, fuelling wider anger over poor governance, corruption and police accountability following the deaths of dozens of protesters at recent rallies.

Last week, President Ruto called for a ‘dialogue’ he fired his entire cabinet and the police chief has resigned.

The protest movement is being coordinated largely online by young Kenyans, many of whom have rejected the talks and are calling for Mr Ruto to “go”.

A crowd carried the body of the protester killed in Kitengela, southern Nairobi, on Tuesday to a nearby police station. Police have not commented on the man’s death.

The protesters chanted “Ruto must go”, lit fires on the road and threw stones as they clashed with police, a BBC reporter at the scene said.

Chaotic scenes were also seen elsewhere in the country, including in Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Nyeri.

A reporter from Kenyan television station K24 was also seriously injured by a bullet while covering the protests in Nakuru. She was shot in the thigh and was taken to hospital for treatment.

According to Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation, there are protests in almost half of the country’s 47 counties.

The tax law was withdrawn after protesters stormed the parliament building on June 25 and set part of it on fire.

Since the demonstrations began, dozens of people have been killed. The state-funded human rights organization estimates the death toll at as many as 50 people and the number of wounded at 413.

Earlier on Tuesday, the acting police chief said there was “credible information” that “certain organized criminal groups” were planning to “infiltrate, disrupt and destabilize the protests.”

Douglas Kanja urged protesting Kenyans to be “peaceful and vigilant” and “cooperate and coordinate with the police” to ensure their safety and “our collective security”.

On Monday, Ruto accused the Ford Foundation of funding the protests.

In a statement, the American organization denies the allegations: “We do not fund or sponsor the recent protests against the financial law.”

Additional reporting by the BBC’s Mercy Juma in Nairobi.