POLICE in Kenya clamped down on protesters staging anti-government demonstrations today as the authorities blocked major roads leading into the capital Nairobi and most businesses closed.

Demonstrators lit bonfires and threw stones at police at roadblocks, while officers fired and threw tear-gas canisters, injuring one demonstrator.

Kenyans had planned protests at police brutality, poor governance and to demand President William Ruto’s resignation over alleged corruption and the high cost of living.

Police responded by stopping private and public vehicles from accessing the city centre and also blocking most pedestrians from entering the capital, only allowing through those deemed to have essential duties.

Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said on Sunday that officers would be deployed to ensure public safety.

The roads leading to the parliament and the president’s office were barricaded with razor wire.

In the town of Kitengela, police fired tear gas today to disperse protesters who had lit bonfires on the road that connects to neighbouring Tanzania.

Protester Caleb Okoth said: “They have blocked the roads, blocking us from our work. I am a roadside vendor and I am supposed to get to town and buy merchandise to sell along the road.

“What do they want us to eat? People are being beaten like dogs for protesting for their rights.”