\n Kenya prepared for possible violence on the streets Thursday as police shut down large parts of the capital in a bid to block protests marking two years since a landmark Gen Z uprising.\n<\/p>\n
\n Thousands of Kenyans protested in June 2024 against economic hardship and corruption, eventually storming parliament to force the cancellation of new taxes.\n<\/p>\n
\n It was a watershed moment as young Kenyans demanded accountability without regard for traditional ethnic dividing lines, and June 25 has become an annual day of protest.\n<\/p>\n
\n But it came at a price, with at least 127 people killed across the two years of protests, according to a police watchdog, as security forces shot people with near-total impunity.\n<\/p>\n
\n Police were taking no chances on Thursday, with a slew of roadblocks shutting down traffic on key roads around Nairobi, and many schools and offices closed.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"The government should let people protest,\" said Beatrice, 26, walking to work in the central business district after public transport was blocked.\n<\/p>\n
\n The business district was the focus of unrest in recent years, but was relatively calm early Thursday, with a heavy police presence.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"What I urge is that police be gentle on people, and people should be gentle on the police,\" said Beatrice, who only gave her first name.\n<\/p>\n
\n President William Ruto said this week that Kenyans had a right to demonstrate, but warned against anyone \"mobilised to destroy property or cause chaos\".\n<\/p>\n
\n Yet politicians have frequently deployed masses of hired \"goons\" -- armed men sent to attack opponents -- who are blamed for most of the looting and robberies during protests.\n<\/p>\n
\n AFP saw scores of them operating alongside police during last year's protests, and they have recently been used to attack everything from opposition rallies to civil rights meetings in churches.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ruto's former deputy Rigathi Gachagua, now a bitter rival, warned young Kenyans not to protest on Thursday, saying: \"I plead with you: stay at home. The state has organised terror against Kenyans.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n Near one roadblock in central Nairobi, 24-year-old motorbike-taxi driver Emmanuel said the early calm was deceptive.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"It's too early. We're warming up. We're tired of this economy. (Ruto) must go,\" he told AFP.\n<\/p>\n
\n - 'Clearly unpopular' -\n<\/p>\n
\n Ruto has long been associated with violence -- he was charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court for inciting attacks during mass election violence in 2007-08, a case that was dropped after alleged witness-intimidation.\n<\/p>\n
\n He has since resurrected himself as a business-oriented leader and a favourite on the international scene, recently hosting French President Emmanuel Macron for a major African summit.\n<\/p>\n
\n But his promises of economic transformation have failed to register for many Kenyans, who accuse him of a string of broken pledges, corruption scandals, and abductions targeting critics.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ruto is \"clearly very unpopular with many Kenyans, especially the Gen Z\" youngsters, said political analyst Gabrielle Lynch.\n<\/p>\n
\n She said he is \"using security and intelligence services to make Kenyans worried about speaking out against the state\".\n<\/p>\n
\n But he has also attempted something of an olive branch, last week announcing that more than 1,100 victims of violence would receive compensation.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"No other administration in the past since post-independence Kenya has made payouts to victims of protests,\" said political analyst Javas Bigambo, praising Ruto's ambitious plans to revamp social housing, health insurance and infrastructure.\n<\/p>\n
\n With elections due in August 2027, Ruto also has the advantage of a fractured opposition.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"His competitors are only criticising and not offering an alternative pathway,\" said Bigambo.\n<\/p>\n
\n But many fear those elections will see politicians mobilising ever-larger number of goons to protect themselves and attack opponents.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I'm worried about next year... We know from history that once you've mobilised those groups, you can't always control them afterwards,\" said Lynch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kenya prepared for possible violence on the streets Thursday as police shut down large parts of the capital in a bid to block protests marking two years since a landmark Gen Z uprising. Thousands of Kenyans protested in June 2024 against economic hardship and corruption, eventually storming parliament to force the cancellation of new taxes. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-160681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n