San Francisco Frontiers - Massive police deployment blocks Kenya protest anniversary

Activists had hoped to hold a memorial march for the dozens killed by security forces in June 2024 protests against economic hardship and corruption that led to parliament being stormed.

It was a watershed moment as young Kenyans rallied together, ignoring traditional ethnic divisions, turning June 25 into an annual day of protest thanks to ongoing frustration with the government of President William Ruto.

But they have paid a heavy price: at least 127 people were killed across the two years of protests, according to a police watchdog, as security forces shot people with near-total impunity.

The authorities took no chances on Thursday, closing off traffic on major roads into central Nairobi and flooding key areas with officers who fired teargas at the first sign of groups gathering.

AFP journalists saw long lines of police wagons, horse patrols and large numbers of plainclothes officers.

"They know people are not afraid of police in uniform. But they are scared of these plainclothes cops because they can just kill you and go," said Moses, 31, a motorbike-taxi driver.

Many were too afraid to march, with one young woman in the business district telling AFP: "I don't want to die, I'm the oldest. I just want to work."

A small group of activists and politicians managed to reach parliament to lay flowers for those killed two years ago, chanting: "This is not a police state."

"Life is so hard," said Jacinta Anyango, whose 12-year-old son Kennedy was killed that day, as she laid a white rose on the barbed wire around parliament.

At least three were arrested when mounted police dispersed the group and by late afternoon, the normally hectic business district was completely deserted.

Amnesty International denounced the shutdown, saying: "A nation that honours its fallen does not lock its people out of their own city."

- 'Organised terror' -

Ruto said this week that Kenyans had a right to demonstrate but warned against anyone "mobilised to destroy property or cause chaos".

Many feared the authorities would once again unleash hired "goons" -- armed men that have been increasingly used against political opponents and civil rights groups.

AFP saw scores of them operating alongside police during last year's protests and they were blamed for the looting and vandalism that followed.

Ruto's former deputy Rigathi Gachagua, now a bitter rival, had warned young Kenyans not to protest on Thursday, saying: "I plead with you: stay at home. The state has organised terror against Kenyans."

But in the end, the massive police presence and a deep fear of more violence deterred Kenyans from marching.

Many prefer to wait for elections in August 2027 to show their anger at Ruto, though it remains unclear if a strong challenger will emerge.

- 'Clearly unpopular' -

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 unrest in 2007-2008, a case that was dropped after alleged witness-intimidation.

He has since reinvented himself as a business-oriented leader and a favourite on the international scene, recently hosting French President Emmanuel Macron for a major African summit.

Ruto offered an olive branch to protesters last week announcing that more than 1,100 victims of violence would receive compensation.

"No other administration... has made payouts to victims of protests," said political analyst Javas Bigambo, also praising the president's ambitious plans to revamp social housing, health insurance and infrastructure.

But the promises of economic transformation ring hollow with many Kenyans, who accuse Ruto of a string of broken pledges, corruption scandals and abductions targeting critics.

He is "using security and intelligence services to make Kenyans worried about speaking out against the state," she said.

Y.Harris--SFF