Kenyan police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators in Nairobi on Thursday, as protesters returned to the streets despite President William Ruto scrapping contentious tax hikes after deadly clashes.
The protests — led largely by young Kenyans — caught the authorities off-guard, as Ruto’s government ricocheted between taking a tough line on the unrest and calling for dialogue.
Dozens of protesters gathered in Nairobi’s central business district, with soldiers deployed and police in anti-riot gear blocking access along roads leading to Ruto’s office at State House and parliament, according to AFP journalists.
Officers fired rubber bullets and tear gas at small groups of protesters and arrested at least seven people, with scuffles erupting as some demonstrators threw stones at police, AFP journalists saw.
“The youth will not rest,” Lucky, a 27-year-old university graduate, told AFP.
“It’s our future we are fighting for,” he said, adding that he did …