Kenyan police block roads around the country's capital ahead of anti-government protest

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Police in Kenya set up roadblocks on Thursday to prevent access to the capital, Nairobi, ahead of a planned demonstration marking two years since at least 60 people died in anti-government protests that also saw protesters storming the parliament.

Families whose loved ones died in the 2024 protests have said they would protest the delay in justice for the victims. The government has been accused of a lack of transparency in an ongoing process to compensate those who suffered human rights abuses during the protests.

Last week, President William Ruto said people would be allowed to protest, but the government would also protect the rights of children to go to school and workers to work, warning against any attempts by the demonstrators to “shut down the country.”

Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said Wednesday that police would escort the protesters but warned that criminals disguised as protesters would not be allowed to infiltrate and raid businesses.

On Thursday morning, police erected roadblocks on all major highways around Nairobi, blocking motorists from accessing the city. Parliament buildings remained barricaded and businesses were closed.

Opposition leaders have backed the planned protests, calling for transparency in the government's compensation program.

For Edith Wanjiku, whose son Ibrahim Kamau died of two gunshots nto the neck, life has been difficult without her 19-year-old son.

“We’ve really suffered emotionally for the last two years,” she told The Associated Press.

Wanjiku said her family has yet to benefit from the compensation program although they have submitted all the required paperwork to the Kenya Human Rights Commission.

“Only two out of 10 families whose children were shot that day near Parliament have been compensated and we are wondering what criteria the government is using,” she said.

During the June 2024 protests, thousands of young Kenyans stormed the parliament building, urging legislators to vote against a finance bill that had proposed an increase in taxes despite the rising cost of living.

Police opened fire outside the building, killing dozens of protesters.

Ruto last week said the government compensation represents “a state acknowledgment that harm occurred” and was not an “admission” of guilt.

He also said the compensation was not the “price of life, of pain or of loss,” and that it should not be seen as a “reward for violence or criminality” in a country where violent protests are common.