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Live Blog: KDF troops patrol Nairobi streets as protesters keep marching on

Heavy police presence in Nairobi CBD on day of protests: (Photo: Hafsa Hassan)

By Mercy Asamba | Thursday, June 27, 2024

In Nairobi, the streets were filled with Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) troops who were roaming the CBD. But this did not stop protesters from showing up.

Protesters in several counties took to the streets on Thursday despite President William Ruto withdrawing the contentions Finance Bill 2024 and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua urging the protesters to back down.

In Nairobi, the streets were filled with Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) troops who were roaming the CBD. But this did not stop protesters from showing up.

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The Eastleigh Voice will provide real-time updates on key events during the protests:

5:45 pm: Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang'ula has referred President Ruto's Memorandum on the Finance Bill to the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning. In a notification, Wetang'ula said the Committee is required to expeditiously commence consideration of the President's Memorandum, its reservations, and recommendation, and report to the House at the next regular sitting upon its resumption.

5:30 pm: Police engage in running battles with protesters along Kirinyaga Road and Luthuli Street in Nairobi. The move is in a bid to flush out criminals engaging in looting.

5:15 pm: A stone barricade was placed along Tom Mboya Street by protesters as police struggled to drive out determined protesters from the Nairobi CBD.

A stone barricade placed along Tom Mboya Street . (Photo: Barrack Oduor)

5:00 pm: Protesters burn a public toilet on Kirinyaga Road in Nairobi. A man who was shot in the head during the melee has been taken to the hospital.

A public toilet on Kirinyaga Road is on fire. (Photo: Hafsa Hassan)

4:20 pm: Police lob teargas at Yusuf Haji Avenue in Eastleigh to disperse suspected looters who invaded the Eastleigh streets that had witnessed relative calm.

Chaos in Eastleigh as suspected looters arrive from the CBD and Majengo. Shops and malls closed. (Photo: Abdirahman Khalif)

4:00 pm: Major roads leading to State House remained closed and sections of the military were spotted patrolling Nairobi's CBD and Ngara.

3:45 pm: KDF officers deployed in Eldoret to back police teams patrolling the town. Several lorries of armed KDF officers were patrolling the streets where hundreds of police officers had been deployed earlier.

3:30 pm: Shops and malls in Eastleigh closed after suspected looters arrived from the Nairobi CBD and Majengo area as anti-government protests continue.

Running battle in Eastleigh's Athumani Kipande Street after rowdy youth from Mathare began robbing the residents, the shops & malls have been closed. pic.twitter.com/TSsg3IjGL2
— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) June 27, 2024

3:00 pm: Relative calm in Nakuru after police lobbed teargas to disperse some youth who had converged and wanted to hold a vigil at Nyayo Gardens in honour of those killed.

2:45 pm: A group of protesters set tyres on fire along Muranga Road near Fig Tree, residents are trying to put it off.

2:30 pm: A group chanting 'Ruto Must Go' was teargassed as businesses along Moi Avenue, Kimathi Street and Kenyatta Avenue remained closed.

2:00 pm: Police arrest protesters in Nairobi CBD in a crackdown on anti-government demonstrations that rocked the city despite military presence.

12:00 pm: Youths in Mombasa gather at Treasury Square to pay respects to Kenyans who died on Tuesday's protests.