By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Police officers in Kenya on Monday fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters as they marched in the capital Nairobi to mark the 35th anniversary of pro-democracy rallies, “Saba Saba”.
It is dubbed “Saba Saba”, which means seven seven in Kiswahili language, because of the date.
Activists demonstrate every year on July 7 to mark the date in 1990 when opponents of then-President Daniel Arap Moi launched a bid to transform the country into a multiparty democracy.
At that time, many opponents of the government, including Raila Odinga, who now works for the government were arrested and detained.
Early Monday, heavy police presence was deployed in central Nairobi ahead of the demonstrations.
The city has since June last year become a hotbed of protests, when youth-led demonstrations that initially focused on tax hikes broke out.
It later expanded to cover issues such as graft, police brutality and unexplained disappearances of government critics.
Police officers used tear gas and water cannon on Monday to disperse crowds along a major highway in Nairobi, as hundreds of demonstrators advanced, with some carrying placards as they marched.
Police had earlier blocked major roads leading into Nairobi and they heavily restricted vehicular movement within the city, leaving streets deserted. Schools and shopping centres were also advised to close down ahead of the protests.
“We are not ready to go back (home) because who will fight for our rights then? We will be here till evening,” Francis Waswa, a construction worker who joined the protest, said.
Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, who last month described the protests as “terrorism disguised as dissent”, said on his X account on Sunday that the government was committed to protecting life and property.
“Our security agencies are on high alert to deal decisively with criminals and other elements of ill intent who may seek to infiltrate peaceful processions to cause havoc, mayhem, or destruction of property,” he said.
The death of Albert Ojwang, a teacher and blogger, in police custody in June has heightened the public protests.
The government-owned Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported 19 deaths nationwide during demonstrations on June 25.
