Kenya police chief quits after deadly protests

Kenya's police chief has resigned following sharp criticism after anti-government protests left dozens of people dead, the presidency said Friday, the latest head to roll over the unrest.

The move came a day after President William Ruto sacked almost his entire cabinet, seeking to contain widespread public anger against his government after largely peaceful demonstrations over proposed tax hikes descended into deadly mayhem.

The presidency said in a statement that Ruto has "accepted the resignation" of inspector general of police Japhet Koome, who has served in the role since November 2022.

Some of the young Gen-Z Kenyans behind the demonstrations had called for Koome to go, with police accused of using excessive force during the protests, the most serious crisis of Ruto's near two-year presidency.

Ruto has taken a series of measures to placate the demonstrators, including abandoning the finance bill that contained the deeply unpopular tax increases.

On Thursday, he dismissed the attorney-general and all cabinet ministers, with the exception of Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

'Wasted two years' 

But the cabinet announcement, while welcomed by some, did not appease some young Kenyans frustrated with Ruto's failure to deliver on his 2022 election promises to create jobs and boost their fortunes.

"We will be back on the streets until Ruto goes. He has wasted two years in office travelling and telling lies," said Hyrence Mwangi, 25.

Initially peaceful, the protests sharply escalated when police fired at crowds who stormed parliament on June 25, ransacking the partly ablaze complex.

While large-scale street protests have subsided, anger against the government has not, particularly towards the police, with rights groups saying that 39 people were killed in the demonstrations.

"When we first went to the streets, Ruto dismissed us as a bunch of hired goons and criminals, only to come later and start saying he will make changes," said 27-year-old Jackson Rotich.

"We can't trust him."

IT specialist Cyrus Otieno, 27, was among those who had called for Koome to go, saying he "must be prosecuted for police brutality".

Law student Melisa Agufana, 24, welcomed the cabinet dismissal, saying she wanted to "thank the president for listening".

She added that ministers had "wasted two years doing nothing apart from being driven around with our national flag."

 Fresh start

Analysts said the move offered the possibility of a fresh start, but warned of further risks.

"The challenge that Ruto now faces is forming a new cabinet that includes various vested interests, whilst simultaneously calming popular anger in the face of an explicitly leaderless movement," Gabrielle Lynch, professor of comparative politics at the University of Warwick, told AFP.

Last week, Ruto announced sharp cuts to government spending, including travel and refurbishment costs, and said he would increase borrowing to pay for some services even as Kenya grapples with massive foreign debt equivalent to roughly 70 percent of GDP.

The crisis led US-based Moody's to downgrade Kenya's debt rating further into junk territory, warning of a negative outlook, which will make borrowing even more expensive for the cash-strapped government.

Ruto said Thursday that he would "immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations, with the aim of setting up a broad-based government", without elaborating further.