NAIROBI: Kenyans took to the streets on Wednesday under heavy security to mark the one-year anniversary of anti-government protests that culminated in the storming of parliament and several deaths as police fired on demonstrators.
Although the protests eventually faded after President William Ruto withdrew proposed tax hikes that had initially sparked the rallies, public anger over the use of force by security agencies has not abated, with fresh demonstrations erupting this month over the death of a blogger in police custody.
Six people, including three police officers, were charged with murder on Tuesday over the killing of 31-year-old blogger and teacher, Albert Ojwang. All have pleaded not guilty.
The death of Ojwang has become a lightning rod for Kenyans still mourning the deaths of more than 60 people killed during last year’s demonstrations and blaming security forces for the fatalities and dozens of unexplained abductions.
Police officers in anti-riot gear restricted vehicular traffic along most roads leading to Nairobi’s central business district, Reuters witnesses saw on Wednesday.
The interior ministry in a post on X on Tuesday warned protesters not to “provoke police” or “attempt to breach protected areas.”
The unprecedented scenes on June 25, 2024, showing police firing at demonstrators as they broke through barriers to enter parliament, created the biggest crisis of Ruto’s presidency and sparked alarm among Kenya’s international allies.
On Tuesday, the embassies of the United States, Britain, Canada, and other Western nations released a joint statement on X urging all involved to “facilitate peaceful demonstrations and to refrain from violence.”
“The use of plain clothed officers in unmarked vehicles erodes public trust,” the statement said. Rights campaigners condemned the presence of unidentified police officers at protests last year.
The embassies also said they were troubled by the use of hired “goons” to disrupt peaceful demonstrations, after Reuters reporters saw groups of men beating protesters with sticks and whips last week.
Kenya’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday that any policing violations would be addressed through government institutions including the parliament and the judiciary.
“The ministry reminds all that diplomatic partnerships flourish best in mutual respect, open channels and a recognition of each other’s unique governance contexts,” it said.
The counter-protesters have defended their actions, telling Reuters that they are not goons but rather patriots protecting property from looters.
Two police officers were arrested last week over the shooting of an unarmed civilian during a protest in Nairobi over the death of Ojwang, the blogger.
Kenya’s police chief initially implied that Ojwang had died by suicide but later apologized after an autopsy found that his wounds pointed to assault as the cause of death.
President Ruto said that Ojwang had died “at the hands of the police,” which he said was “heartbreaking and unacceptable.”
Kenyans stage street protests one year after storming parliament
https://arab.news/zn5hj
Kenyans stage street protests one year after storming parliament
- Protests mark anniversary of anti-government demonstrations
- Police block roads in Nairobi
- Western embassies urge peaceful protest, condemn use of force
Magnitude 7.5 quake in northern Japan injures 23 people and triggers a 2-foot tsunami
- A tsunami of up to 70 centimeters (2 feet, 4 inches) was measured in Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, just south of Aomori, and tsunami levels of up to 50 centimeters struck other coastal communities in the region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said
TOKYO: A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan late Monday, injuring 23 people and triggering a tsunami in Pacific coast communities, officials said. Authorities warned of possible aftershocks and an increased risk of a megaquake.
The Japanese government was still assessing damages from the tsunami and late-evening quake, which struck at about 11:15 p.m. in the Pacific Ocean, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main Honshu island.
“I’ve never experienced such a big shaking,” convenience store owner Nobuo Yamada told the public broadcaster NHK in the Aomori prefecture town of Hachinohe, adding that “luckily” power lines were still operating in his area.
A tsunami of up to 70 centimeters (2 feet, 4 inches) was measured in Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, just south of Aomori, and tsunami levels of up to 50 centimeters struck other coastal communities in the region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 23 people were injured, including one seriously. Most of them were hit by falling objects, NHK reported, adding that several people were injured in a hotel in Hachinohe and a man in Tohoku was slightly hurt when his car fell into a hole.
The meteorological agency reported the quake’s magnitude as 7.5, down from its earlier estimate of 7.6. It issued an alert for potential tsunami surges of up to 3 meters (10 feet) in some areas and later downgraded to an advisory.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara urged residents to go to higher ground or seek shelter until adviseries were lifted. He said about 800 homes were without electricity, and that the Shinkansen bullet trains and some local lines were suspended in parts of the region.
Nuclear power plants in the region were conducting safety checks, Kihara said. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said about 450 liters (118 gallons) of water spilled from a spent fuel cooling area at the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori, but that its water level remained within the normal range and there was no safety concern.
About 480 residents were taking shelter at the Hachinohe Air Base, and 18 defense helicopters were mobilized for a damage assessment, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.
About 200 passengers were stranded for the night at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, NHK reported.
The meteorological agency issued a caution about possible aftershocks in the coming days. It said there is a slight increase in risk of a magnitude 8-level quake and possible tsunami occurring along Japan’s northeastern coast from Chiba, just east of Tokyo, to Hokkaido. The agency urged residents in 182 municipalities in the area to monitor their emergency preparedness in the coming week.
Satoshi Kato, a vice principal of a public high school in Hachinohe, told NHK that he was at home when the quake struck, and that glasses and bowls fell and smashed into shards on the floor.
Kato said he drove to the school because it was designated an evacuation center, and on the way he encountered traffic jams and car accidents as panicked people tried to flee. Nobody had yet come to the school to take shelter, he said.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in brief comments to reporters that the government set up an emergency task force to urgently assess the extent of damage. “We are putting people’s lives first and doing everything we can,” she said.
Later, she urged residents in the region to pay attention to the latest information from local municipalities. “Please be prepared so you can immediately evacuate as soon as you feel a tremor.”
The quake struck about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Hachinohe, and about 50 kilometers (30 miles) below the sea surface, the meteorological agency said.
It was just north of the Japanese coast that suffered the magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011 that killed nearly 20,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
“You need to prepare, assuming that a disaster like that could happen again,” the meteorological agency’s earthquake and volcano division official Satoshi Harada said.
At 6:20 a.m. on Tuesday morning, authorities lifted all tsunami adviseries for the Pacific coastline in northern Japan, NHK said.
The US Geological Survey reported another earthquake, with a magnitude 5.1, early on Tuesday, about 122 kilometers (76 miles) south of Honcho, at a depth of 35 kilometers. No other details were immediately available.
