Ruto accused of dictatorship as police violence on protestors escalates

A protester reacts while confronting Kenya police officers in front of burning barricades during clashes at Saba Saba Day demonstrations in Nairobi on July 7, 2025. [AFP]

When President William Ruto took office in 2022, he pledged to end police brutality. Three years on, he has instructed officers to shoot violent protesters "in the leg".

Over the past year, Kenya has been grappling with waves of demonstrations, initially over economic stagnation and corruption but later broadening out to police violence, a long-standing issue in the country of 55 million.