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Kenyan police fired tear gas to disperse small groups of anti-government protesters in the capital, Nairobi, demanding better governance as a new cabinet was sworn in.
Businesses in the city were closed and public transport was paralyzed as police set up roadblocks on main roads to prevent protesters from entering the central business district.
The demonstration was a continuation of months of anti-tax protests that have morphed into calls for President William Ruto to resign.
Youth-led protests have already forced the president to withdraw planned additional taxes and disband his cabinet.
Mr. Ruto Senior opposition officials appointed The request was made to the Cabinet to quell growing public anger against the government.
He gave four portfolios to the opposition, including the powerful finance and energy ministries.
A new cabinet was sworn in early Thursday morning and tight security was deployed at the presidential residence, the National Palace, which protesters had threatened to storm.
At the inauguration ceremony, Ruto said the new cabinet “cannot and must not let Kenyans down.”
He described his new team as a “coalition of rivals” in a country long plagued by “factional and sectarian rivalries.”
Mr Ruto added: “It is clear now more than ever that we are united in our commitment to building a Kenya that thrives and works for all.”
About half of the ministers served in the previous cabinet, a move that further angered protesters who are demanding a clean break with the past.
They rejected the new cabinet, saying it simply continued a deal among Kenya’s political elite.
Riot police began patrolling the streets of Nairobi in the early hours of Thursday morning, but only a few dozen demonstrators attended, compared with previous protests such as the one that set the parliament building on fire.
Police dispersed small groups of young people who tried to gather for the protest, dubbed the Nane Nane March, which means “August 8 March” in Swahili, and several people were arrested.
The streets of Nairobi seemed very quiet, with only a few people going about their daily business.
Major towns where protests had previously broken out have calmed down, including the lakeside city of Kisumu, an opposition stronghold, and Eldoret, Ruto’s hometown.
On Wednesday, acting police chief Gilbert Masengeli warned of “criminal elements” intent on infiltrating the demonstrations and urged people to avoid “protected areas” such as the main international airport and the presidential palace.
According to Kenya’s National Human Rights Commission, more than 50 people have died since the demonstrations began in June.
Former police chief Japhet Koome was accused of using brutal tactics against protesters. Resigned last month.
That has failed to quell protesters seeking justice for the victims – who have vowed to continue demonstrating until the president steps down.
Ruto was elected president after narrowly defeating his main rival Raila Odinga in the 2022 general election, promising during his campaign to improve the lives of Kenya’s poor, especially young people who he called “swindlers.”
But now he is caught between a rock and a hard place: on the one hand, he is grappling with the demands of “cheaters” over the cost of living crisis; on the other, international lenders are demanding that his government repay its massive national debt.
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