Police officers lobbed teargas canisters at protesters marching towards the Nairobi Central Police Station during the June 25 anniversary demonstrations in the capital.
The procession moved along University Way, with demonstrators chanting solidarity and freedom songs as they made their way towards the police station, where a contingent of officers had been deployed.
Police officers initially attempted to stop the march through verbal warnings, but the protesters continued advancing towards the station.
Police disperse protesters with teargas near Central Police Station. Photo: Courtesy.
Officers armed with batons were then deployed in an apparent attempt to disperse the crowd.
The demonstrators, however, did not retaliate, prompting police to fire several teargas canisters to break up the procession.
Several protesters were arrested during the confrontation and taken to the Nairobi Central Police Station.
Journalists covering the demonstrations also confronted a police inspector over allegations that a masked, uniformed officer had assaulted one of their colleagues.
Following the confrontation, the officer was ordered to return to the station.
The incident unfolded as thousands of Kenyans took to the streets across Nairobi and other major towns to commemorate the first anniversary of the June 25, 2024, anti-Finance Bill protests, during which scores of demonstrators were killed after Parliament was stormed.
Security was heightened across the country ahead of the anniversary, with police erecting roadblocks on major highways leading into Nairobi’s Central Business District, deploying officers around key government installations and barricading Parliament Buildings with barbed wire.
Similar demonstrations were also reported in several counties as protesters demanded justice for victims of last year’s protests, accountability for alleged police brutality and governance reforms.
