SAEDNEWS: Kenyan President William Ruto warned Wednesday against attempts to "overthrow" the government through "unconstitutional means" and ordered police to shoot violent protesters in the leg, days after 31 people were killed in nationwide anti-government demonstrations.
His toughest remarks yet come as the east African nation faces a wave of violent protests over economic stagnation, corruption and police brutality.
"They want to start chaos, organize protests, burn people's property, bring disaster so as to overthrow the government before 2027... This is a democratic country," Ruto told supporters in the capital Nairobi, speaking in Swahili.
"This country will not be destroyed by a few people who are impatient and want a change of government through unconstitutional means," he said.
"You cannot sponsor violence and go scot-free," he added, saying any attacks on the police would be seen as a "declaration of war".
Ruto, who was elected in 2022, also said violent protesters "should be shot in the leg, be taken to hospital and taken to court".
The demonstrations began in June last year as a youth-led anti-taxation protest, which subsequently forced the government to withdraw the contested finance bill.
But many of Kenya's youth are once again engaging in protests, which last month degenerated into looting and violence, killing dozens and destroying thousands of businesses.
They are disillusioned by the economic situation, corruption and high taxes, as well as police brutality after a teacher died in custody last month.
Fifty-one people have died in protests over the last two months, according to an AFP tally citing rights groups.
Rallies early this week saw hundreds arrested and scores wounded.
Rights groups said 31 people died across the country in the protests which marked Saba Saba day -- meaning Seven Seven -- or July 7, 1990 when Kenyans rose up to demand a return to multi-party democracy after years of autocratic rule by then-president Daniel arap Moi.
Protesters accuse the authorities of paying armed vandals to discredit their movement, while the government compared a demonstration in June to an "attempted coup".
Opposition leaders, including Ruto's former deputy and ally Rigathi Gachagua, have accused the government of unleashing state-sponsored violence against its citizens, slamming it as "hostile".
On Tuesday, they called on the public to "boycott all businesses, services and institutions owned, operated or publicly linked to this regime and its enablers".
Gachagua campaigned for Ruto during the 2022 election but the two fell out last year, leading to his impeachment.
Ruto's allies have accused Gachagua of bankrolling violent protests, with some calling for his arrest.
He has denied the accusations.
Marches last month marked the one-year anniversary of the anti-tax protests that saw young demonstrators breach parliament on June 25, with rights groups saying at least 60 people died in last year's rallies.
Social media and rising economic expectations have fanned anger over inequalities in a country where around 80 percent are trapped in informal, poorly paid jobs.
The United Nations said it was "deeply troubled" over the deaths during this week's protests and that "intentional lethal force by law enforcement officers, including with firearms, should only be used when strictly necessary to protect life from an imminent threat".
