(Nairobi) A police officer died on Thursday of his injuries received during a Kenyan opposition rally marred by clashes between demonstrators and security forces, police said on Friday.
Opposition veteran Raila Odinga has called for bi-weekly protests against the government – every Monday and Thursday – accusing President William Ruto of “stealing” the August presidential election, being “illegitimate “, but also to be unable to curb soaring prices.
These gatherings were banned by the police.
During the third day of mobilization, in Kisumu, in the west of Kenya, stronghold of Raila Odinga, a policeman “died of his wounds received during the exercise of his functions”, according to a press release from Japhet Koome, the chief of police.
Mr Koome claimed that 20 police officers were “seriously injured while repelling violent protesters”, also pointing to “hooligans posing as protesters who invaded private property”.
It was also in Kisumu and its region that two civilians were killed during the two previous demonstrations, by suspected police fire. Investigations have been opened by the institution responsible for supervising the action of the police.
According to the Media Council of Kenya, which defends press rights in the East African country, “25 cases of attacks against local and foreign journalists at the hands of state and non-state actors” have been documented. since the protests began on March 20.
On Monday, the day was marked by the looting of a business belonging to Mr. Odinga in Nairobi and a farm owned by Uhuru Kenyatta, Mr. Ruto’s predecessor, in the suburbs of the capital.
On Wednesday, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki assured that anyone disturbing public order would be prosecuted, “regardless of the political party” to which he belongs, while denouncing “anarchy and criminal madness”.
Many Kenyans struggle to feed themselves on a daily basis, faced with rising prices of basic necessities, the depreciation of the Kenyan shilling and unprecedented drought in parts of the country.
In February, inflation hit 9.2% year on year, with food prices alone rising 13.3%.
