Anti-riot police braved a cold in Nairobi to patrol major streets Thursday hours after acting Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja announced a ban on protests within the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) for an unspecified period.
There were more officers in and around Uhuru Park where a group had announced they would occupy as part of their push for changes in governance.
The announcement of the ban on protests sparked outrage online with some arguing police have no such powers.
Police said the ban applies to other parts of the country.
Kanja said the organisers of the protests have no leadership who can help in managing the events.
“As a result, no demonstrations will be permitted in the Nairobi Central Business District and its surroundings until further notice to ensure public safety,” he said.
Kanja said the protests that began in June have not only led to massive destruction of property but also a tremendous loss of lives following the infiltration by criminal elements.
Kanja said police had received information about a plot by the said criminal elements to continue destroying the protests, including one reportedly planned for Thursday, July 18, 2024.
He said since the leadership of the youthful protesters is not known, the police are unable to ensure their security and hence have resolved to institute the said ban.
“In keeping with our Constitutional role and in the interest of national security, we wish to inform the public that we have credible intelligence that organized criminal groups are planning to take advantage of the ongoing pretests to execute their attacks including looting,” he said Wednesday evening.
Police commanders in the city reacted by deploying hundreds of anti-riot officers on the streets.
They braved the cold to patrol the streets as others stayed in their vehicles keeping a vigil.
More than 50 people have died out of the protests.
More than 400 others were injured and property destroyed by goons.
The demos started over the proposed Finance Bill 2024. The demonstrators raided parliament in the drama and anger over the passage of the bill.
The focus is on the new police commanders as they handle the next phase of the protests.
Whereas the officers including acting Inspector General of police Douglas Kanja, acting Deputy Inspector General of Kenya Police Eliud Lagat and his Administration Police counterpart James Kamau are not new in the field, how they handle the situation will tell much.
Kanja is the immediate former DIG Kenya Police while Lagat was in charge of the General Service Unit as the commandant while Kamau was the commandant of the National Police Campus Embakasi.
The officers have been meeting to plan how to handle the situation.
What started as anger on TikTok about the controversial finance bill has morphed into a revolt without being organised by political parties.
Hundreds of protesters, who feel Kenyans are already overtaxed with little to show for it, have braved tear gas lobbed by police to march through major towns affecting operations.
Armed with their smartphones, they live-streamed the intense confrontations with officers.
The youthful demonstrators, popularly referred to as Gen Zs - in reference to the term generally used to describe those born between 1997 and 2010 - showed up in huge numbers, vowing to ensure that their discontent did not end with just a hashtag or meme.
Many of them were demonstrating for the first time.
Those who did not make it to the streets helped spread the word by sharing messages, pictures and videos on social media.
As the protest lacked any clear leadership, the police have found it hard to target those behind it.