Kenyan police fired tear gas in the capital Nairobi on Thursday, injuring several journalists as small groups of demonstrators gathered for a protest announced as a new day of action against controversial President William Ruto.
The East African country, normally one of the most stable in the region, has been rocked for weeks by sometimes deadly protests against Ruto’s two-year-old government, which is led mostly by young Kenyans.
While Ruto oversaw the swearing-in of the newly formed cabinet, riot police were deployed in large numbers in the central business district. Many shops were closed while roadblocks were set up on major roads.
Only a few dozen protesters gathered in the center of Nairobi and chanted “We are peaceful.”
But the police used tear gas several times, injuring several journalists, including two employees of the French news agency AFP, who said the officers fired tear gas grenades directly at them.
Unacceptable targets
The International Press Association of East Africa said at least three journalists were shot at with tear gas grenades “at close range”.
The Nairobi-based group said it “condemns these violent attacks on journalists simply for doing their jobs. This is unacceptable and contrary to the basic principles of democracy.”
Police said they arrested 174 suspects in Nairobi, Kitengela-Rift Valley and Emali-Makueni counties on Thursday.
“The authorities must immediately put an end to these outrageous practices of violence and the resulting impunity,” said the group, known by its French acronym RSF.
In the past, organizers had accused “thugs” of hijacking their plans for peaceful actions and causing unrest.
Read more on RFI English
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