According to Kenya’s interior ministry, the country is on the verge of chaos, which poses a “grave danger to the rule of law and the stability of our country.”
The ministry vowed on Wednesday to deploy a strong police presence to prevent a descent into “irreversible anarchy,” ahead of more opposition protests planned for Thursday.
Several violent clashes have occurred in recent days between supporters of opposition politician Raila Odinga and police.
Mr. Odinga has called for the protests to take place twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, to protest the high cost of living and what he calls the need for electoral justice following last year’s election.
According to the interior ministry, at least two people have been killed in the protests, with 85 civilians and 51 police officers injured. In the ensuing chaos, private property has been damaged and looted, and a church and mosque have been burned.
On Monday, looters broke into the farm of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, and a gas cylinder factory linked to Mr. Odinga was also vandalized.
“The current portrait of anarchy and criminal madness must be stopped… Any worsening of the current situation would undoubtedly set the country back. “We must stop the descent,” said the interior ministry.
