Description: Marking the 35th anniversary of the Saba Saba protests, which saw Kenya becoming a multi – party democracy, anti – government protesters continued clashing with the police, with 11 more people reportedly killed. Kenya’s law enforcement closed key traffic routes in central Nairobi on 06 Jul, following the weekend’s violent clashes. The protests have continued escalating by the day and were prompted by the killing of Albert Ojwang, 31 – year old teacher and blogger, who died in police custody. Kenya’s Internal Minister, Kipchumba Murkomen has labeled the protests as terrorism in disguise and confirmed that the government’s priorities are in protecting the country’s law and order.
Impact: The protests in Kenya have expanded nationwide and are pressuring the government towards disbandment, as violent clashes escalate by the day. The narrative from the government still remains aggressive with police forces effectively killing protesters in order to suppress the movement. Widespread chaos and disorder encompassed Nairobi and other cities in the country, engulfed in the demonstrations, which are actively threatening larger scales of civil and political crisis. The government lacks effective mechanisms in countering violent demonstrators, as the usage of repressive force only causes the demonstrations to transpire towards more violence. The protests are expected to continue as no channels of communication have been established between the government and the protesters.