Kenya finance bill: Court allows military deployment to restore order

A judge declines to halt the deployment of soldiers to assist police in quelling anti-budget protests.

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More than 20 people have reportedly been killed in the nationwide protests that are largely led by young people opposed to government plans to increase taxes.

Armoured military vehicles patrolled streets in the capital, Nairobi, on Thursday as police fired tear gas to disperse protesters, who had threatened to storm the presidential palace.

A judge said that the military deployment was critical to protect government installations but gave the authorities two days to clarify how long the deployment would last, along with its rules of engagement.

"To deploy the military in a blanket manner without defining their scope of operation and the duration of their operation is a dangerous trend that can bring about militarisation of the country," ruled Justice Lawrence Mugambi.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c897gnr9z4vo

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