Kenyan protesters have clashed with club-carrying younger males, believed to be loyal to the federal government, within the centre of the capital, Nairobi.
The demonstration, held within the wake of the demise in custody 10 days in the past of blogger and trainer Albert Ojwang, was referred to as to demand the sacking of a high police officer.
Police initially mentioned that Mr Ojwang died of self-inflicted wounds, however have been compelled to retract the assertion after an post-mortem discovered that it was doubtless he died after being assaulted. Two policemen have been arrested in reference to the demise.
The protest comes amid simmering stress forward of subsequent week’s first anniversary of the storming of parliament by demonstrators.
Earlier on Tuesday, there have been pockets of violence within the capital’s central enterprise district when teams of younger males using motorbikes, armed with whips and golf equipment, attacked protesters.
Movies present the boys seemingly working side-by-side with police, who fired teargas to try to disrupt the demonstrations.
The Reuters information company reported earlier that its employees noticed the physique of 1 man on the road with a head wound, however Kenya’s police spokesman mentioned he was unaware of a demise. The AFP information company is quoting a hospital supply as saying that the person was nonetheless alive however in a important situation.
Officers had been deployed throughout key components of town, in an try to dam protesters from accessing main intersections and authorities buildings.
Deputy police chief Eliud Lagat has stepped apart as an investigation into Mr Ojwang’s demise is underneath approach.
However activists need him faraway from workplace because it was his grievance in opposition to the blogger that led to the younger man’s arrest. The 31-year-old was accused of defaming Mr Lagat on social media.
“We will not be intimidated. We will stay unbowed. We would like Lagat to step apart,” one protester advised the BBC.
“We would like the man to resign and we would like the man to be arrested. We would like him to sit down there and reply questions, you recognize. [He is] nonetheless on the payroll, nonetheless having fun with taxpayers’ cash,” one other mentioned.
The scenario in Nairobi stays tense. Most companies within the metropolis centre are shut and there are visibly fewer folks than common on the streets.
Final 12 months’s protests, led by younger Kenyans, have been in opposition to an unpopular finance invoice which sought to introduce new taxes. It culminated within the protesters coming into parliament on 25 June and compelled the federal government to drop the controversial proposals.
There are not any contentious tax measures this 12 months, however activists plan to construct up momentum to what they’re calling “a complete shutdown” of enterprise subsequent Wednesday.
Further reporting by Akisa Wandera and Anthony Irungu
Extra BBC tales on Kenya:
[Getty Images/BBC]
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