At least 355 suspects were arrested as “criminal elements” attempted to commit crimes during the demonstrations, police have said
Hundreds of people were arrested across Kenya on Thursday during demonstrations in remembrance of dozens of protesters killed in the 2024 Gen Z anti-government rallies against tax hikes, according to police and rights groups in the East African nation.
Protests were reported in at least 14 counties, including the capital Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nakuru. Police reportedly fired tear gas in Nairobi as families of victims and activists attempted to march toward parliament to demand accountability and compensation for those killed in last year’s unrest.
Security forces mounted roadblocks on major highways leading into the capital ahead of the demonstrations as part of heightened security measures.
Kenyan Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said while there was no widespread vandalism and looting, security forces had to move to prevent what he described as criminal elements from infiltrating the protests. He said intelligence indicated that groups were being ferried into Nairobi to cause disruption, prompting highway checkpoints.
“A few criminal elements attempted to commit diverse crimes in the guise of staging peaceful demonstrations. Consequently, a total of 355 arrests were made in connection with the demonstrations,” the minister said in a statement. He said Anthony Gathungu, a local Interior Ministry official in Murang’a County, was injured after being attacked by a group attempting to erect a barricade in Kandara.
However, the Police Reforms Working Group (PRWG), which includes Amnesty International Kenya and other civil society organizations, said more than 361 people had been detained, accusing law enforcement of violating the right to peaceful assembly.
The group said families of victims killed in the previous protests were blocked from laying flowers in Nairobi in remembrance, and also accused the authorities of targeting journalists.
The June 25 demonstrations mark the second anniversary of the 2024 Gen Z-led protests against an International Monetary Fund-backed finance bill, later withdrawn by the government. The legislation had been introduced to address a $2.7 billion gap in the country’s budget.
At least 60 people were killed in clashes with riot police, according to estimates by the government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.
President William Ruto later withdrew the bill, dismissed his cabinet, and formed a new government in an effort to ease public anger over the country’s economic woes. Kenya’s then-deputy president, Rigathi Gachagua, was later impeached on charges including incitement to ethnic division and support for the anti-tax protests. Gachagua dismissed the allegations as false and “extremely outrageous,” claiming that his removal was politically motivated.
