Kenyan court suspends police ban on Nairobi protests | Protest news

Before the court decision, the police had banned protests in the capital indefinitely in light of the ongoing anti-government demonstrations.

A Kenyan court has overturned a police ban on protests in the capital, saying citizens have a right to demonstrate peacefully.

Before the Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday, police had banned protests in Nairobi indefinitely, citing a lack of leadership to ensure peaceful demonstrations.

The judge issued a “provisional order” to prevent enforcement of the ban until a final decision is made on the case. The court announced that another hearing will be held on July 29.

The suspension came ahead of a planned protest rally in which demonstrators were to march to the president’s office and demand his resignation over poor governance.

Acting Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said in a statement that the lack of leadership had made it “difficult to enforce safety protocols.”

No protesters were seen on Thursday, but the main roads leading to the president’s office remained blocked off by police.

Protests have been taking place in Kenya for a month, beginning with calls for parliamentarians to vote against a controversial finance bill that would have raised taxes in response to the cost of living crisis and rising national debt.

According to the Kenyan Human Rights Commission, at least 50 people have died since the protests began on June 18.

President William Ruto said he would not sign the finance bill that Parliament passed on June 25 – the day protesters stormed part of the building and set it on fire, causing parliamentarians to flee.

The president last week fired almost his entire cabinet and the attorney general, as demanded by protesters who accused the ministers of incompetence, corruption and flaunting wealth.

Some shops in Nairobi remained closed in anticipation of planned protests on Thursday. Police continued to patrol the streets in large numbers around the central business district.

Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said on Thursday that the economy had suffered losses of six billion Kenyan shillings ($45 million) due to the ongoing demonstrations.

The police have been accused of brutality against protesters. Japhet Koome, the former inspector general of police, resigned on July 12 after protesters demanded that he take responsibility for the shooting of demonstrators.

The independent police watchdog said on Wednesday it had forwarded four out of 10 cases of police brutality to the attorney general with recommendations.

The Inspectorate recorded witness statements and ordered several police officers to appear before it and give their witness statements.