Protesters of the opposition leader Raila Odinga clashed with police in Kenyan cities on Wednesday in a second round of demonstrations in less than a week over tax hikes.
Police officers fired teargas to disperse protesters in the capital Nairobi, the port city of Mombasa and several other towns, according to reporters and footage aired on Kenyan television stations.
“We have ventured out on our own accord,” said Ibrahim Stanley, a protester in Nairobi’s informal Kibera settlements. “We are out here because we are tired.”
Intense clashes took place on the expressway connecting Nairobi to the main airport, where protesters lit bonfires and toppled fencing. The expressway said toll services had been halted at three stations.
At least six people were killed last Friday during protests against the taxes, which are contained in a finance bill signed into law by President William Ruto last month.
Kenya’s High Court ordered the suspension of implementation of the legislation pending a legal challenge, but the government has raised petrol prices anyway.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who called for the protests, was due to address supporters in Nairobi later on Wednesday, a spokesperson said. Odinga finished runner-up in the last five presidential elections, including losing to Ruto last year.
