At least 31 individuals lost their lives and over 100 were injured during protests that swept across Kenya on Monday, according to a human rights organization, as mounting discontent with President William Ruto’s government erupted into violent clashes with law enforcement.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported on Tuesday that the unrest also led to more than 500 arrests and noted two cases of enforced disappearances.
Authorities responded to the demonstrations with live ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons nationwide. In Nairobi, police officers positioned on empty overpasses deployed tear gas canisters onto groups of protesters below. While some demonstrators hurled stones at security forces, others expressed their dissent through song and dance.
The protests coincided with Saba Saba Day, a significant date commemorating the 1990 pro-democracy movement in Kenya. The term 'Saba Saba,' meaning 'Seven Seven' in Swahili, marks the anniversary of the first major rallies advocating for multiparty democracy held in Nairobi.
In a show of strength, heavily armed police officers blocked key roads leading to Nairobi’s central business district, rendering typically busy streets nearly empty except for a few determined protesters who navigated on foot.
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