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Nine men charged after protest clashes in Kenya
A riot policeman fires a teargas canister to disperse supporters of Kenya's opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) during a protest at the premises hosting the headquarters of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to demand the disbandment of the electoral body ahead of next year's election in Nairobi, Kenya, May 23, 2016. PHOTO BY REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya
By George Obulutsa and Humphrey Malalo
24/05/2016
NAIROBI (Reuters) - A Kenyan court charged nine men on Tuesday for their role in a protest against an electoral oversight body, a lawyer said, after the fourth flare-up on the streets in a month left three people dead and upset international donors.
One demonstrator in the western city of Kisumu died from an injury while fleeing the scene of a protest, while another two died in violence in Siaya County related to the demonstrations, also in the west, police from those areas told Reuters.
A government official earlier said only one person died.
Dozens have been arrested in protests that began on April 25 and have been held on virtually every Monday since then.
"We are deeply concerned by the escalation of violence during the demonstrations in Kenyan cities," ambassadors from the United States, Britain and other Western nations said.
In a statement, they called for an investigation into the use of "excessive force" by the east African country's security services and urged protesters to act peacefully.
After last week's demonstration, a senior police officer said there would be an investigation to see if there had been any violations in the conduct of the police.
The demonstrators want the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to be scrapped, saying it is not impartial and cannot oversee fair presidential and parliamentary elections due in August 2017.
The IEBC, which oversaw a vote the opposition disputed in 2013, denies being biased. The government says the opposition is taking to the streets as it cannot win a vote.
The nine people charged on Tuesday were accused of unlawful assembly, court documents showed. "My clients pleaded not guilty and were released on cash bail pending hearing of the matter," lawyer Harun Ndubi told Reuters.
Fifteen people faced similar charges last week.
The protests have extended beyond Nairobi to cities such as Kisumu, where there is strong support for opposition leader Raila Odinga. He is expected to run again against President Uhuru Kenyatta, now serving the first of a maximum two terms.
Police fired tear gas and water cannon at demonstrators in Nairobi on Monday. A week earlier, officers had fought running battles in the street with protesters, beating some of them with batons and kicking them. Some demonstrators had thrown stones.
Western envoys have previously urged the government and citizens to prepare carefully for the elections in a nation where the 2007 vote was followed by ethnic blood-letting that killed 1,200 people. The 2013 election result was unsuccessfully challenged in court by the opposition.
(Reporting by Humphrey Malalo; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
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