Nairobi - Thousands of Kenyans rallied Monday for an anti-government demonstration in the capital's central park amid heavy police presence, with political and ethnic tensions high following weekend attacks in which over 21 were killed.
Opposition leader and former prime minister Raila Odinga has organised the rally to address what he says are major government failures, including worsening crime and insecurity, rising living costs, impunity, corruption and allegations of ethnic favouritism in government appointments.
Police were searching and screening supporters as they entered Nairobi's Uhuru park, or "Freedom" in Swahili, an AFP reporter said.
The rally, the culmination of a series of countrywide demonstrations, is held on the July 7 anniversary of protests for multi-party democracy in the 1990s, a date heavy with symbolism and known commonly as "Saba-Saba" , or "Seven-Seven" in Swahili.
Police say they have deployed 15,000 officers to ensure the rally passes off peacefully, with the country already on high alert fearing attacks by Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab gunmen, who have vowed revenge for Kenya's military presence in Somalia.
The Shabab claimed twin attacks in Kenya's coastal region on Saturday night in which at least 21 were killed, the latest in a series of killings, although police blamed the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC), a group that campaigns for independence of the coastal region.
The Shabab also claimed responsibility for attacks last month at Mpeketoni. Survivors reported how gunmen speaking Somali and carrying Shabab flags killed non-Muslims.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, however, denied that the Shabab were involved and instead blamed "local political networks" and criminal gangs, saying victims had been singled out because of their ethnicity.
Monday, 7 July 2014
'LOYAL' Citizens turn up in large numbers at Uhuru Park for the Sabasaba Rally
Nairobi - Thousands of Kenyans rallied Monday for an anti-government demonstration in the capital's central park amid heavy police presence, with political and ethnic tensions high following weekend attacks in which over 21 were killed.
Opposition leader and former prime minister Raila Odinga has organised the rally to address what he says are major government failures, including worsening crime and insecurity, rising living costs, impunity, corruption and allegations of ethnic favouritism in government appointments.
Police were searching and screening supporters as they entered Nairobi's Uhuru park, or "Freedom" in Swahili, an AFP reporter said.
The rally, the culmination of a series of countrywide demonstrations, is held on the July 7 anniversary of protests for multi-party democracy in the 1990s, a date heavy with symbolism and known commonly as "Saba-Saba" , or "Seven-Seven" in Swahili.
Police say they have deployed 15,000 officers to ensure the rally passes off peacefully, with the country already on high alert fearing attacks by Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab gunmen, who have vowed revenge for Kenya's military presence in Somalia.
The Shabab claimed twin attacks in Kenya's coastal region on Saturday night in which at least 21 were killed, the latest in a series of killings, although police blamed the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC), a group that campaigns for independence of the coastal region.
The Shabab also claimed responsibility for attacks last month at Mpeketoni. Survivors reported how gunmen speaking Somali and carrying Shabab flags killed non-Muslims.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, however, denied that the Shabab were involved and instead blamed "local political networks" and criminal gangs, saying victims had been singled out because of their ethnicity.