Kenya police fire tear gas to stop scuffles between pro and anti-government groups

By Edwin Waita

NAIROBI (Reuters) -Kenya's police fired tear gas to prevent scuffles between groups of protesters and government supporters in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday, as youth-led demonstrations against alleged corruption and misgovernance dragged into their sixth week.

Protests, which began in opposition to tax hikes and climaxed in the storming of parliament, have continued despite President William Ruto abandoning the $2.7 billion finance bill in June.

At the time, he also fired almost all of his cabinet, although he retained many holdovers from the prior administration when he named part of his new line up last Friday. On Tuesday, Ruto announced further changes including swapping his defence and environment ministers.

For the first time since protests began on June 18, a group of government supporters, mostly on motorcycles, paraded through downtown Nairobi blowing whistles and plastic horns and carrying placards reading "We support the president" and "Enough is enough."

"We will make sure that business must go back to normal in this city. We condemn the protests," said one government supporter, who declined to give his name.

Police have said the protests, which have claimed at least 50 lives, have been infiltrated by criminal gangs.

Anti-government protesters chanted what has become their most defining mantra: "Ruto must go."

"The police are only targeting us peaceful demonstrators, while hired goons, covered in masks on motorbikes with concealed number plates are moving in plain sight as the police just watch," said one protester, who also declined to give a name.

AIRPORTS OPERATE NORMALLY

In Pipeline Estate in Embakasi, a neighbourhood in the east of the city, men in army and air force fatigues assisted the police in running battles with groups of people, a Reuters journalist said.

It wasn't clear if they were protesters or simply rioters, the journalist said. The police spokesperson, the commander of the Nairobi police force and the army spokesperson did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Having previously said he was listening to protesters' demands, Ruto struck a less conciliatory tone on Sunday, saying he would protect the peace and stability of the nation and deal firmly "with those who are engaged in mayhem, in anarchy."

Leading activists in the otherwise leaderless protest movement called on people to "occupy" Nairobi's main airports on Tuesday, but heavy police presence on surrounding roads prevented any serious disruption.

The airport's operator asked passengers to arrive hours before flights because of enhanced security checks.

(Additional reporting by Humphrey Malalo; Writing by George Obulutsa and Hereward Holland; Editing by Duncan Miriri, Michael Perry and Sharon Singleton)