Kenya police fire tear gas on anniversary of pro-democracy protests

7/7/2025 19:17

Kenyan police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters in the capital Nairobi on Monday as they marked the 35th anniversary of pro-democracy rallies.



Activists rally every year on July 7 to mark the date in 1990 when opponents of then-president Daniel Arap Moi launched a bid to transform the country into a multiparty democracy. The protest is called "Saba Saba" - "seven seven" in Kiswahili - because of the date.



Authorities have ramped up police deployments in Nairobi since youth-led protests in June 2024 that initially focused on tax hikes but expanded to cover issues such as graft, police brutality and unexplained disappearances of government critics.



A Reuters witness saw police use tear gas and water cannon on Monday to disperse crowds along a key artery in Nairobi, as hundreds of demonstrators advanced, with some blowing whistles while they marched.