Kenya’s interior minister accused anti-government protesters of trying to topple President William Ruto after nationwide demonstrations marking last year’s deadly tax marches left at least 16 people dead and businesses ransacked.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen toured Nairobi’s central business district on Thursday, inspecting shops stripped of goods during Wednesday’s unrest. He said police would use CCTV footage to track the looters and promised rapid arrests.
“Yesterday’s events were not mere protests; they were an organised attempt to overthrow constitutional order,” Murkomen told reporters, defending officers who fired tear gas and live rounds to disperse crowds. “The government has your back,” he added, praising the police response.
Wednesday’s rallies, coordinated on social media, erupted in 23 of Kenya’s 47 counties to mark the first anniversary of 2024’s anti-tax demonstrations, when parliament was stormed and at least 60 people were killed. Protesters this week torched two police stations, barricaded roads and chanted for Ruto to resign, accusing his government of corruption and police brutality.
The state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights raised the death toll from the latest unrest to 16 and said dozens were injured. Twenty people reported missing after last year’s protests remain unaccounted for, the commission added.
Parliament and the president’s office were ringed with razor wire on Wednesday, preventing demonstrators from approaching the compounds. Police have not released arrest figures from the latest round of unrest.