Kenya arrests more than 350 as people mark anniversary of deadly protests

Demonstrators mark the second anniversary of a 2024 protest where 60 people were killed by security forces.Kenyan police have dispersed protesters in the capital and detained others who took to the streets in memory of the demonstrators who were killed in anti-government rallies against tax rises two years ago.Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said on Thursday that a total of 355 people were arrested in various parts of the country. He called those detained “criminals” and apologised for the use of barricades and other security measures aimed at containing the protests.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Photos: Kenya’s police crack down on protest against US Ebola centrelist 2 of 3Ghosts of empire: A quarantine centre and Laikipia’s colonial pastlist 3 of 3Taiwan accuses Kenya of deporting conference delegates on China’s behalfend of list“We regret the inconveniences occasioned by these measures, and at the same time appreciate their effectiveness in securing the city and other parts of the country,” Murkomen told reporters.A correspondent for the Reuters news agency also saw police fire tear gas to disperse people who were gathering peacefully outside of Nairobi’s police station after forces detained six people outside parliament, where they had laid flowers.According to the Kenya-national-commission-on-human-rights" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="152746" data-entity-type="organization">Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, organisers had planned to mark the second anniversary of the demonstrations that had left at least 60 people dead after protesters had breached parliament grounds in 2024.But in Nairobi, shops and restaurants in the central business district remained closed as police set up roadblocks with water-cannon trucks.Reporting from Nairobi, Al Jazeera’s Malcom Webb explained that the heavy police response to the protest was due to the government’s desire to avoid a repeat of the events two years ago.“This comes following a series of different protests in recent weeks, some led by [President William] Ruto’s political opponents, others by transport unions over increases in fuel prices and a state of simmering discontent that hasn’t really recovered since that day two years ago when dozens of people were killed,” he said.