Date: Sunday, 13 August 2017
A senior government official has warned social media users that security forces will arrest those sharing messages or information deemed inflammatory after a disputed election. Several people have already been detained.
Kenyan Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi on Saturday confirmed that several people who have been sharing "incendiary" messages aimed at sparking political unrest in the country have been arrested.
Matiangi, who was speaking on behalf of the government before national and international media, also warned that "the government will stop at nothing to protect lives and property of Kenyans." He however vehemently refuted earlier reports that police had shot dead two people.
"I'm not aware of anyone who has been shot dead by police," he said. "Those are lies and rumors. Police have not used any live bullets. So anyone who says the police have shot dead protesters is a liar."
"Peaceful protesting will always be protected in accordance to the existing laws. Therefore, looters are not protesters by any stretch of imagination. They are just criminals," he added.
News of the arrests has raised concerns among social media users in the country, who are now afraid of being arbitrarily detained by police and security agents.
Claims of rigging
The stern warning by Matiangi, who is also responsible for security affairs, comes on the heels of this weekend's running battles between rioters and police after incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared winner of last Tuesday's election with 54.27 percent of the vote.
His closest rival, Raila Odinga, received 44.74 percent. The riots took place in Kisumu and Kibera counties, two major strongholds of Odinga, the opposition leader.
Odinga has since rejected the results, claiming that the elections were massively rigged.
Riots are threatening to tear Kenya apart in the aftermath of the election
Rights groups warn of police brutality
In a statement also released earlier on Saturday, the rights organization Human Rights Watch urged Kenyan security forces to exercise restraint in the face of protests taking place in response to election results.
"In any situations where security personnel use force, they should take care to ensure that it is proportionate," the statement said.
"With growing reports of demonstrations and heavy gunfire in some areas, it is important for security forces to work to de-escalate - not escalate - the violence," said Otsieno Namwaya, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The police should not use tear gas or live ammunition simply because they consider a gathering unlawful."
Likewise, Amnesty International said it had received credible information that one man was shot dead by police in Nairobi’s Kibera slums and at least two others in Kisumu’s Kondele area, while others were injured.
"Police must do everything necessary to protect life in these protests. They should prioritize dialogue and de-escalation, and only use force and firearms if all peaceful means fail, and only where necessary to protect life," said Amnesty's Muthoni Wanyeki.
Protesters have blocked roads and burnt tires
Locals speak out on violence
Residents of Kisumu told a DW correspondent that they wished the situation could return to normal, because they were now living in fear of their lives.
"We would like normalcy to return to Kisumu so we can live in peace once again. Politicians should sort themselves out and leave us alone," Theresa Adhiambo, a resident of Kisumu, told DW.
"We can't go back to our normal routines, which is making it difficult for us as mothers to feed our families. Food prices have also been hiked by at least 50 percent," she said.
Mathew Ouma, a fruit vendor in Kisumu county, also told DW that business was not doing well because the town residents had decided to remain indoors for their own safety.
"I appeal to resident of Kisumu to embrace peace, because remaining indoors alone will not solve the situation," he said.
Growing violence across the country comes in the wake of the official announcement that President Uhuru Kenyatta won Tuesday's vote. Post-election violence in 2007 had left more than 1,100 people dead.
Date 13.08.2017
Police were blamed for shooting and killing at least eleven people in the capital Nairobi - including a young child - on August 12 as part of the latest bout of post-election violence in Kenya. Security forces reportedly fired "sporadic shots" at protesters in a bid to break up demonstrations against the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta, with many expecting the death toll to rise. The government denied that police used live ammunition to quell protests.
Rioting continued the day after the incumbent president was officially declared the winner of the August 8 vote. There were reports of blocked roads and burning barricades in the capital, Nairobi.
In Kisumu, about 200 miles (325 kilometers) northwest of the capital, another man was reportedly shot dead by police, while at least five more were injured, according to an unnamed regional police commander.
Meanwhile in Mathare, a slum area in Nairobi, police were seen charging at demonstrators firing live rounds and tear gas.
Election monitors, meanwhile, voiced support for the election results as opposition parties maintained the notion that the vote must have been rigged. President Uhuru Kenyatta was officially declared the winner of the election despite ongoing accusations of fraud from the leading opposition candidate, Raila Odinga, who called the election a "sham" and a "charade," claiming that already 100 people had been killed in post-election clashes.
Supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga rally in Nairobi
Assaults on journalists
Witnesses speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that Kenyan police officers had harassed and physically assaulted at least four journalists covering protests over President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election. The journalists in question were allegedly tear-gassed and hit with batons, and their equipment was confiscated or they were ordered to delete content.
Kenya Television Network's political reporter Duncan Khaemba was reportedly arrested and held for hours at a police station because he had not been carrying a required permit for wearing his bulletproof vest and helmet. He was later released.
Ethnic and economic divisions
The unrest appears to expose growing divisions across Kenya, where corruption at top levels of government has angered many voters, including those who regard Odinga as a viable alternative to voice their grievances. Tribal loyalty was also seen as a major contributor to these growing social rifts with Kenyatta widely seen as the representative of the Kikuyu people, the country's largest ethnic group, while Odinga is associated with the Luo tribe.
Catholic leaders meanwhile appealed for calm and asked security forces to exercise caution during protests.
"We appeal to them to restrain themselves from using excessive force in handling crowds," said John Oballa Owaa, vice chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops. "No life should be lost because of an election."
Election fraud unlikely
The main elections monitoring group, ELOG, announced that its own tally closely resembled the official results. ELOG had posted 8,300 observers on the ground during Tuesday's vote, concluding that Kenyatta had garnered 54 percent, compared with the official figure of 54.3 percent.
"We did not find anything deliberately manipulated," Regina Opondo, the chairwoman of ELOG's steering committee, told a news conference.
Tensions remain high, as the aftermath of the 2007 election remains in vivid memory for many where widespread protests left more than 1,100 people dead amid suggestions that the vote may have been manipulated.
