Kenyan police arrest hundreds of people accused of looting during anti-government protests

Published in: 03/07/2024 – 10:32

2 min

Kenyan police say they have arrested more than 270 people posing as protesters on suspicion of carrying out violence during anti-government rallies on Tuesday.

During youth-led demonstrations in various cities across the country, cases of mass looting and destruction of property were reported. Some protesters claimed that “bandits” participated in the demonstrations.

“Security forces across the country have identified and arrested suspects who were involved in criminal activities under the pretext of protests,” the Criminal Investigation Directorate said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, late Tuesday evening.

It was reported that a total of 204 suspects were arrested in the capital Nairobi, while another 68 were arrested in various other parts of the country.

“The DCI has deployed additional diligent investigators to the affected regions to pursue suspects captured on surveillance and cellphone footage of violent attacks, thefts and destruction of property and businesses of innocent citizens,” the statement added.

Tuesday’s demonstrations began peacefully but later turned violent, with police firing tear gas at stone-throwing crowds in Nairobi and looting and destruction of property in the capital and other cities.

“Thugs broke in,” Hanifa Adan, a prominent Generation Z protester, wrote on X on Tuesday.

“Orgy of Violence”

Young Gen Zers in Kenya began protesting last month against a wildly unpopular finance bill that included a raft of new taxes that would worsen the plight of those already suffering from a cost-of-living crisis.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said Monday that 39 people had been killed and 361 injured in the two weeks of protests. The worst violence occurred on Tuesday last week in Nairobi. The commission condemned the use of force against protesters, calling it “excessive and disproportionate.”

Although President William Ruto later withdrew the finance bill, protesters are now demanding his resignation as part of a wider campaign against his rule under the hashtag “RutoMustGo”.

Further demonstrations are planned for Thursday and Sunday.

It is the most serious crisis Ruto has faced since taking office in September 2022 in a country often seen as a beacon of stability in a troubled region.

On Tuesday, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki condemned what he described as an “orgy of violence” and warned the government would take action against anyone committing “anarchic chaos and vicious looting.”

“This terror against the Kenyan people and impunity for dangerous criminal gangs must end at all costs,” he said.

In a television interview on Sunday, Ruto denied having “blood on his hands” over the deaths of protesters, but his calls for dialogue with Kenya’s youth about their grievances have failed to calm demonstrators.

Ruto also warned that the cash-strapped government would be forced to borrow more following the rejection of the finance bill.

The government has previously said the tax increases are necessary to shore up the budget and service a huge public debt of about 10 trillion shillings ($78 billion), or about 70 percent of GDP.

(AFP)