NAIROBI — Kenyan police deployed across Nairobi and several major towns on Tuesday ahead of planned anti-government demonstrations, as youth-led movements renewed calls for President William Ruto to address the cost of living and alleged police abuses. Organisers said protests would target the capital's central business district.

The demonstrations follow more than a year of intermittent unrest that began with the 2024 finance bill protests, which left dozens dead and forced the government to withdraw a package of tax increases. Rights groups, including the Kenya Human Rights Commission, have accused security forces of using excessive force and carrying out abductions of activists.

The Interior Ministry warned that unlawful gatherings would be dispersed. The Law Society of Kenya urged police to respect the constitutional right to peaceful assembly. Businesses in Nairobi's central district said they would close early, and several schools cancelled classes as a precaution.

The unrest reflects deep frustration among young Kenyans over unemployment, corruption and a strained economy burdened by debt repayments to the International Monetary Fund and China. Analysts at the Nairobi-based Institute for Security Studies said the protests posed a growing challenge to Ruto's authority ahead of the 2027 general election.

"The government must listen to the voices of the young people rather than meeting them with tear gas and bullets," said Hussein Khalid, executive director of the rights group Vocal Africa, in remarks to local media.