The second Monday of anti-carota protests by the opposition to President William Ruto's government again brought the cities of Nairobi and Kisumu to a standstill and resulted in accidents, injuries and one death.
The leader of the Azimio La Umoja coalition, Raila Odinga, who was defeated in the last elections, called for another day of protest by parading with other vehicles in which key opposition allies, including his deputy Martha Karua, sat. The intention was to parade through downtown Nairobi (CBD) and reach State House, the president's palace. Ruto meanwhile flew last night to Germany where he met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Sholz, and tomorrow he will be in Brussels to speak with the European Commission's number one, Ursula von der Leyen.
Odinga's procession, after gathering hundreds of proselytes, several stone- and stick-wielding invaders watched from a distance by police in the working-class neighborhood of Kangaware, actually headed toward the CBD but the large deployment of officers in riot gear convinced the organizers to divert to the city's slum stronghold of Kibera. Meanwhile, in addition to clashes in other "hot" neighborhoods, a hundred thugs broke in. Armed with pangas and electric saws, into the town estate owned by former President Uhuru Kenyatta's family, raiding livestock, felling trees and setting fire to it, before escaping. Also attacked, on the other side of town, was a business owned by Odinga, where gas cylinders are manufactured.
Violent clashes also occurred in Kisumu, in the opposition leader's home region. As happened in the first Monday of protests, this time, too, there was a death. One person was hit by a bullet fired by police as a group of youths advanced throwing stones, intending to gain access to the manned city center. In the end, beyond protests that may be understandable but not dependent on this or that side and especially on one political leader rather than the other, the report is always sad and discouraging. Businesses shut down, damage to public property and assets, the transportation sector in economic deficit, and business in general brought to a standstill for another full day, from the highest systems to "mama mboga," the fruit and vegetable vendor on street corners. Kenya's High Court in the evening refused to issue orders to stop anti-government protests across the country, declaring them illegal and consequently allowing law enforcement agencies to arrest the organizers.