Kenyan police fire tear gas to disperse protesters

Nairobi — Kenyan police lobbed tear gas and fired shots in the air yesterday to disperse protesters who are demanding a change of leadership at the country’s election commission.

The protests took place in the capital Nairobi and the opposition stronghold of Kisumu, in western Kenya, as well as in the coastal city of Mombasa.

The protests were called by the opposition group, known by its initials as NASA, whose leader Raila Odinga faces President Uhuru Kenyatta in a rerun of the presidential vote scheduled for October 26. Kenya’s top court ordered a repeat election after nullifying the re-election of Kenyatta, citing irregularities and illegalities.

In Kisumu hundreds of protesters chanted “Chiloba must go,” referring to the chairperson of the election commission. No casualties were reported in the protests yesterday. — AFP