NAIROBI, June 25 (Reuters) - Dozens of Kenyans took to the streets on Thursday under heavy security in memory of protesters killed two years ago when massive anti-government demonstrations erupted in Nairobi over proposed tax hikes and the surging cost of living.
Organisers had planned remembrance marches in the coastal city of Mombasa and the capital Nairobi to mark the anniversary of the June 25, 2024 unrest, when protestsescalated dramatically and protesters breached parliament grounds before a security crackdown left dozens dead.
On the eve of the marches, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen warned that anyone seeking to engage in "chaos, looting, destroy property, disrupt businesses, or commit any other criminal acts" would face "the full force of the law," adding that investigators were already looking into reports of people mobilising gangs and securing weapons ahead of the anniversary.
Dozens of marchers turned up in Mombasa escorted by security forces while Nairobi's streets appeared largely deserted as police set up roadblocks with water cannons and mounted a razor wire barricade outside parliament. Shops and restaurants within the central business district, the site of previous protests, remained shut on Thursday.
“Today we remember our comrades who died in the demonstrations," John Maina, 26, told Reuters in Nairobi. "They were not fighting for any profit, that is why we remember them, it’s not a protest, it’s a remembrance."
In Nairobi, opposition leaders joined victims of alleged police brutality and families of slain protesters in a march towards parliament to place flowers and candles outside the building.
Brian Musyoka, a 37-year-old motorbike taxi driver, told Reuters the shutdown was adding to the economic pressures faced by ordinary Kenyans.
“There is not much work, I may not make anything to cover the loan that paid for this electric bike," he said.
CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi last week issued an alert advising U.S. citizens in Kenya to avoid protest areas and crowds and to expect traffic disruptions and roadblocks on Thursday.
Protest organisers say they are demonstrating to demand justice for victims, credible investigations into past police conduct and guarantees against the use of excessive force during rallies.
President William Ruto said last week that 2 billion Kenyan shillings ($15.5 million) had been set aside for victims of protest-related rights abuses under a national reparations framework.
However, rights groups, and civil society organisations say compensation alone does not amount to accountability for alleged abuses by security forces and have called for Ruto to apologise publicly over the issue.
($1 = 129.2000 Kenyan shillings)
(Reporting by Edwin Okoth and Vincent Mumo Nzilani; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly and David Dolan)
