Kenyan police block roads ahead of anti-government protest

Kenyan police established roadblocks on major highways leading to the capital, Nairobi, on Thursday in anticipation of an anti-government protest. The demonstration is scheduled to mark two years since at least 60 people died during previous protests, which also saw protesters storming parliament. Families of those who died are protesting perceived delays in justice and a lack of transparency in the government's compensation program for victims of human rights abuses.

President William Ruto stated last week that protests would be allowed but cautioned against attempts to "shut down the country," emphasizing the need to protect children's right to attend school and workers' right to work. Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen added that police would escort protesters but would not permit criminals disguised as demonstrators to infiltrate and raid businesses.

On Thursday morning, police erected barriers on all main routes into Nairobi. Parliament buildings were barricaded, and businesses remained closed. Opposition leaders have voiced support for the planned protests, urging the government to be transparent about its compensation initiatives. Edith Wanjiku, whose son was killed during the 2024 protests, shared her family's emotional suffering and stated that only two out of ten families whose children were shot near Parliament have received compensation despite submitting all required paperwork to the Kenya Human Rights Commission.

During the June 2024 protests, thousands of young Kenyans protested a finance bill that proposed tax increases amid a high cost of living. Police opened fire outside parliament, resulting in dozens of deaths. Ruto recently commented that the government's compensation signifies "a state acknowledgment that harm occurred" rather than an "admission" of guilt. He also stated that the compensation is not a "price of life, of pain or of loss," nor should it be viewed as a "reward for violence or criminality."