Kenya’s president calls the storming of parliament a security threat, vows calm ‘at whatever cost’

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s president called the storming of parliament on Tuesday a national security threat and vowed that such unrest won’t happen again “at whatever cost,” after thousands of protesters against a new finance bill pushed their way in, burning part of the building and sending legislators fleeing. It was the most direct assault on the government in decades.

Journalists saw at least three bodies outside the complex where police had opened fire, and medical workers reported five others killed. Clashes spread to other cities. There was no immediate word on arrests.

Kenya's president calls the storming of parliament a security threat, vows calm 'at whatever cost'

Kenya’s president has called the storming of parliament on Tuesday a national security threat, and he vows that such unrest won’t happen again “at whatever cost.”

apnews.com

 

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The street turmoil that swept Kenya’s capital on Tuesday represented a blow to the Biden administration’s tight embrace of President William Ruto, a strong U.S. ally on a continent where American influence is rapidly waning.

Just a day earlier, President Biden had formally named Kenya a major non-NATO ally, and Mr. Ruto had seen off a first group of 400 Kenyan police officers headed to Haiti on a contentious security mission that is largely financed by the United States.

Kenya Protests Are a Blow to Biden’s Embrace of President Ruto

Just a day earlier, President Biden had formally named Kenya a major non-NATO ally.

www.nytimes.com