Protesters sustain anti-govt demos in Kisii, Nakuru and Kajiado » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 16 — Hundreds of protesters confronted police in major towns across the country on Tuesday, sustaining anti-government demonstrations despite major concessions by President William Ruto.
Demonstrators took to the streets in Kisumu, Nakuru, Kisii and Kitengela a day after President Ruto singed out the Ford Foundation as the sponsor violent protests witnessed since Jun 25 when demonstrators stormed Parliament over the passing of the Finance Bill 2024.
In Kisii, protestors converged at Kisii town paralysing business activities.
Chanting anti-Ruto slogans, demonstrators asked why the Head of State spared Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi in an unprecedented Cabinet purge.
The protesters dismissed the claim Ford Foundation was funding anti-government demonstrations.
“No one has a hand in these protests. I have frequently participated in all these protests and no one has ever sent me money,” George Mong’are said.
“We are doing this to streamline the country,” he remarked.
A few police officers deployed across the town centre kept watch as mostly youthful protestors agitated.
Businesses remain closed for fear of looting amid stone-throwing incidences.
In Nakuru, business came to a standstill as police battled anti-government protesters who set tires alight.
Journalist shot
The ensuing confrontation saw the police fire teargas canisters with protesters retreating occasionally.
One person sustained a stone injury as protestors engaged the police. In a similar incident, a journalist sustained a serious injury after police reportedly opened fire on protestors.
The Nakuru-based journalist was rushed to a local hospital with a bullet lodged in her thigh. The facility was not immediately available fot a comment.
In Nyeri, protesters assembled in Karatina where they set tires ablaze on key roads.
Similar events ensued in Kitengela where protesters clashed with the police.
In Kisumu, businesses hurriedly closed down as demonstrators stormed the city centre after an initial reluctance.
Motorcyclists blaring their horns first made rounds within the Central Business District (CBD), warning to businesses that opened on account of calm reported in Kondele, the traditional epicentre of protests in the lakeside city.
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