The government has ordered schools to re-open on Thursday amid anti-government protests by Azimio leader Raila Odinga against the high cost of living and implementation of the Finance Act.
In a joint statement by the Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki and his Education Counterpart Ezekiel Machogu, the government says adequate security will be put in place to guarantee the safety of learners.
On Tuesday evening, the government ordered schools closed in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu due to the street protests by the opposition.
“The government has now undertaken an evaluation of the current security situation in various parts of the country including in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu counties and adequate measures have been taken to guarantee the safety and security of learners and their schools across the country,” Kindiki said.
However, Raila Odinga has announced that the protests will proceed on Thursday as planned and that he will continue fighting for the rights of Kenyans.
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“We will continue with our peaceful demonstrations as planned. But we will stop at 5pm today and resume tomorrow (Thursday) morning,” he said.
The opposition has vowed to stage three straight days of protests against President William Ruto’s government, alarming the international community, which has joined calls for a political solution to the crisis.
Schools and shops were closed in Nairobi and the opposition bastions of Mombasa and Kisumu Wednesday, with small groups of mostly young men setting fire to tyres and engaging in running battles with police.
Police fired tear gas at scattered groups of demonstrators in Nairobi’s Kibera slum and the towns of Homa Bay, Kisii and Migori, all Odinga strongholds, while offices in the capital’s business district were largely shuttered.
It is the third time this month that Odinga has staged mass rallies against a government he says is illegitimate and to blame for a cost-of-living crisis.
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