Kenyan activists rethink strategy after protests descend into violence
Wednesday July 03 2024
SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB An injured man reacts during a demonstration over police killings of people protesting against the imposition of tax hikes by the government, in Nairobi, Kenya, July 2, 2024. REUTERS/Donwilson Odhiambo
Activists behind Kenya's anti-government protests are rethinking their strategy after demonstrations on Tuesday were marred by widespread violence and looting.
The activists say the violence was the work of "goons" hired by politicians to either discredit legitimate demonstrators or advance their own agendas, but they acknowledge that it risks undermining the protest movement.
"It seems the state has realised that the only way to counter this movement is by using goons to incite violence, break into people's property, loot, and tarnish our cause," Ojango Omondi, an activist in the capital Nairobi, told Reuters.