Court suspends protest ban

Kenya's Government last week ratcheted up its appeal for weeks of protests to stop and police tried to ban demonstrations in the heart of the capital Nairobi only to be overruled in court. Police introduced the ban saying the protests, which have claimed at least 50 lives over the past month, had been infiltrated by criminal gangs. But a Nairobi court suspended the ban while a case challenging it was heard. Some activists called for people to gather with camping gear to ‘occupy’ Uhuru Park adjacent to the city centre, amid a heavy police presence across Nairobi. News24 reports that the youth-led protests across Kenya against proposed tax hikes have continued even after President William Ruto withdrew the legislation and fired almost all of his Cabinet. Activists say they want Ruto to resign and are calling for reforms to clean up corruption and address poor governance. The country has lost approximately 6bn Kenyan shillings (R840m) as a result of the demonstrations, government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said, without explaining how he arrived at that figure. ‘The President and the government at large (have) heard you loud and clear and we are ready to act on your concerns,’ Mwaura said in a televised statement.