Key Points
- Protesters decry a wave of unexplained abductions of critics.
- Police fired tear gas and detained 11 demonstrators in Nairobi.
- Alleged abductions have intensified anti-government protests since June.
Tear gas was used Monday by police in Kenya’s capital to scatter demonstrators protesting what they said was a spate of mysterious kidnappings of government critics. During the protests, authorities also arrested a number of protesters, according to human rights organizations.
Protests erupt over alleged abductions in Kenya
Human rights organizations claim that police and intelligence agencies have made extrajudicial arrests in connection with the kidnapping of dozens of Kenyans in recent months. Kenyan officials deny any connection, saying the government never supports nor takes part in such activities.
As stated by Reuters, Some protesters held posters condemning arbitrary detentions, while others yelled anti-government slogans in downtown Nairobi.
As riot police tried to disperse them, small groups staged sit-ins, tying themselves together with chains. Police on horseback monitored the area, as clouds of tear gas hung in the air.
Lawmaker Omtatah among those arrested in downtown sit-in
Opposition legislator Okiya Omtatah participated in a sit-in as one of the demonstrators. Omtatah and ten other demonstrators were arrested during the protests, according to the Daily Nation.
National police spokesperson Rosalia Onyango and Nairobi police commander Adamson Bungei did not respond to requests for comment.
The purported kidnappings come after anti-government demonstrations that started in June. The protests, which were first planned in opposition to proposed tax increases, have expanded into a larger movement that cuts across Kenya’s traditional ethnic divides and represents the biggest threat to President William Ruto’s administration to date.
