Tensions rise as police crack down on Nane Nane protesters
Police officers arrest peaceful Nane Nane protesters along Kimathi Street in Nairobi.
Tension remains high in Nairobi and other major towns across Kenya as the country braces for demonstrations by youth pushing for sweeping governance and economic reforms.
In the capital, police, who mounted roadblocks on major roads leading into the city, on Thursday, August 8, arrested scores of Nane Nane protesters and would-be protesters as they attempted to assemble on Moi Avenue, Kenyatta Avenue, Kimathi Street, Mama Ngina Street, Uhuru Highway and other roads.
The suspects were arrested by plainclothes officers before being bundled into police lorries that were stationed at strategic locations. Their fate was not immediately clear.
This came as police fired teargas at protesters to block the demonstrators from accessing the central business district.
Earlier in the day, armed police have mounted roadblocks on major roads leading into the city, with matatus mostly being flagged down for inspection to isolate protesters.
Similar deployments were witnessed around protected areas and major government installations, including Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, State House, Parliament, Harambee House, Central Bank of Kenya and Times Tower.
Along Thika Road, one of the police checks is near Vincentian Retreat Centre, just after the entry into the highway from Thika town, and another after Safari Park for Nairobi-bound traffic.
And along Jogoo Road, a police check is mounted near City Stadium.
All roads leading to State House— Arboretum, Dennis Pitt, State House, Jakaya Kikwete, Processional— were barricaded by heavily armed police, with truckloads and busloads of riot police on standby in the Nairobi Area.
Outside the capital, there was heavy police deployment across Kenya’s other cities— Mombasa, Nakuru and Kisumu— with officers patrolling the streets.
More follows.
