NAIROBI: Thousands of Kenyans rallied Monday for an anti-government demonstration in the capital's central park amid heavy police presence, with political and ethnic tensions high following weekend attacks in which over 21 were killed.
Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has organised the rally to address what he says are major government failures, including worsening crime and insecurity, rising living costs, impunity, corruption and allegations of ethnic favouritism in government appointments.
Police were searching and screening supporters as they entered Nairobi's Uhuru park, or "Freedom" in Swahili, an AFP reporter said.
The rally, the culmination of a series of countrywide demonstrations, is held on the July 7 anniversary of protests for multi-party democracy in the 1990s, a date heavy with symbolism and known commonly as "Saba-Saba" , or "Seven-Seven" in Swahili.
Police say they have deployed 15,000 officers to ensure the rally passes off peacefully, with the country already on high alert fearing attacks by Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab gunmen, who have vowed revenge for Kenya's military presence in Somalia.
The Shebab claimed twin attacks in Kenya's coastal region on Saturday night in which at least 21 were killed, the latest in a series of killings, although police blamed the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC), a group that campaigns for independence of the coastal region.
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