NAIROBI: Kenyan police have arrested more than 270 persons suspected of involvement in criminal activities under the guise of participating in anti-government protests that erupted into violence across several cities on Tuesday.
The demonstrations, primarily led by youth activists, initially began peacefully but later turned chaotic, marked by widespread looting, property destruction, and clashes with security forces.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), a total of 204 suspects were apprehended in the capital Nairobi, with an additional 68 arrests made in various other regions of the country.
In a statement released on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the DCI condemned the violence and announced the deployment of investigators to pursue suspects identified through CCTV footage and mobile phone recordings.
“Security forces across the country singled out suspects found engaging in criminal activities in the guise of protesting and took them into custody,” the statement read.
The protests, which gained momentum last month in response to a controversial finance bill introducing new taxes, have been marred by allegations of infiltration by criminal elements described as “goons” by some demonstrators.
“Goons have infiltrated,” noted prominent Gen-Z protester Hanifa Adan in a social media post on Tuesday.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) reported earlier this week that 39 people have been killed and 361 injured during the two weeks of demonstrations. The commission denounced the “excessive and disproportionate” use of force by authorities.
Despite President William Ruto’s decision to abandon the finance bill following public outcry, protesters have continued their demands, now calling for his resignation under the hashtag “RutoMustGo.”
Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki denounced the violence as an “orgy of violence,” vowing decisive action against perpetrators of what he termed “anarchic chaos and cruel plunder.”
“This reign of terror against the people of Kenya and the impunity of dangerous criminal gangs must end at whatever cost,” Kindiki asserted.
President Ruto, who assumed office in September 2022, has faced mounting pressure amid the crisis, with ongoing protests posing the most significant challenge to his leadership to date in a country long seen as a bastion of stability in East Africa.
In a recent television interview, Ruto denied responsibility for the protester deaths, calling for dialogue while warning of increased government borrowing following the scrapping of the contentious finance bill.
The government had argued that the tax measures were necessary to bolster state revenues and manage a substantial public debt amounting to approximately 10 trillion Kenyan shillings ($78 billion), equivalent to 70% of the country’s GDP.
Further demonstrations have been scheduled for Thursday and Sunday.
