Police fire tear gas as thousands of Kenyans march through Nairobi and other cities
The protests are in honour of those killed in massive anti-tax demonstrations a year ago today
There is a huge deployment of police in Nairobi and other major cities
The government has ordered TV and radio stations to halt live coverage
Schools and businesses have been closed for fear of violence
Police warn against attempts to access the president's office and parliament
President Ruto orders police to secure the nation and protect lives
This video can not be played
Watch: On the streets of Nairobi as protests begin
Edited by Farouk Chothia, with Basillioh Rukanga, Akisa Wandera and Ian Wafula in Nairobi
Kenya's association of editors has condemned the government's directive to ban live TV and radio coverage of the protests.
It says live coverage is not a threat but a "civil duty to ensure accountability and transparency".
"We urge all media to stand firm and respect the 2023 High Court ruling that barred such censorship," the Kenya Editors’ Guild said in a statement, external.
Wycliffe Muia
Reporting from London
President Ruto has incorporated opposition figures to his cabinet in a move to solidify his hold on power amidst increasing criticism of his administration.
But the majority of Kenyans are opposed to the arrangement, according to a recent survey.
In July, the president dismissed nearly his entire cabinet in an attempt to end protests. He unveiled what he called a "broad-based government", giving four posts to key allies of main opposition leader Raila Odinga – including the powerful finance and energy ministries.
Last December, he held a surprise meeting with his rival and predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta, who had backed Odinga in the closely fought 2022 election that Ruto won.
Ruto said he had decided to work with his former rivals to promote national unity as well as "build bridges" and create "more synergy" in his government.
But his presidency plunged into another crisis after he fell out with his deputy Rigathi Gachagua, leading to his impeachment last October. Allies of the two have since been involved in a series of public spats.
Analysts see Ruto's inclusion of the opposition as a strategy to address the unpopularity of his government, especially in the key central region from where Gachagua comes.
Basillioh Rukanga
Reporting from Nairobi
William Ruto rose to the presidency in 2022
One of the hashtags trending on X is #OccupyStateHouse, an audacious call for protesters to march to the official residence of the president in Nairobi.
Getting near there would be provocative – and seen as a direct challenge to President William Ruto's authority
The president’s residence is a legally protected area and entry by unauthorised people is strictly prohibited. The authorities have already issued stark warnings against any move to occupy it.
Protesters managed to storm parliament last year. The consequences were dire – a number of people were shot dead.
This time, both State House and parliament have been barricaded with razor wire to prevent any breach of security.
But some of the people calling for the occupation of State House, including outspoken lawyer Miguna Miguna, have described it as public property.
“No one can stop us from occupying our property. Ruto doesn’t own State House,” Miguna said on social media.
A leading privately owned TV station in Kenya, KTN TV, says it will continue broadcasting the protests live despite a government ban.
In a statement, external, the station, run by Standard media group, says it is yet to receive the official order despite other media houses confirming it.
"We are consulting with our lawyers to establish the legality of this order, which aims to plunge the country into a news blackout," it added.
A video shared by Kenya's Citizen TV shows MPs leaving parliament in a rush, external as protests rock the capital Nairobi.
Defiant protesters seem to be aiming to reach parliament, pushing back against repeated attempts by officers to disperse them.
Parliament earlier today adjourned because there was no quorum as MPs failed to show up for debates.
MPs were caught up in last year's demonstrations after protesters breached parliament and set the building on fire.
Here's a quick round-up of the protests in Kenya against police brutality:
Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates from our reporters in Kenya.
The Kenyan government has confirmed that it has stopped live TV and radio coverage of the protests.
Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura posted on X, external the order from the Communication Authority of Kenya.
Today's march is to remember those killed on 25 June 2024, when protesters stormed parliament to demand an end to tax rises.
In April, BBC Africa Eye's Blood Parliament documentary, external revealed how security forces brutally responded to those protests.
Using open-source data and user-generated content, the BBC's analysis of more than 5,000 images identified uniformed security personnel – a policeman and soldier – who opened fire killing three unarmed protesters at parliament.
Amnesty International and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) said the officers identified in the documentary should "face the law".
Kenyans expressed their anger online, pressing the government to hold security officers accountable.
President Ruto has previously defended police against accusations of brutality.
Police have also repeatedly denied involvement in the killings.
Several people are said to have been rushed to hospital
We’re getting reports of people being shot, including one reportedly killed in Machakos, a town about 60km (38 miles) from the capital.
Several people are also said to have been rushed to the main hospital in the capital with gunshot wounds after allegedly being shot by police during the ongoing protests, local media report.
Citizen TV, which reports that at least 10 people had been shot, has posted a video, external showing patients being wheeled in to the Kenyatta National Hospital, in Nairobi.
In the clip, a man tells the broadcaster that police had started firing at them, and that one of his colleagues had been shot.
The BBC is trying to verify the reports.
Live coverage of the protests are illegal, authorities say
Kenya's government has ordered all TV and radio stations to immediately stop live coverage of the protests, reports say.
"Failure to abide by this directive will result in regulatory action," the Communication Authority says in a statement cited by Citizen TV.
Some major TV stations have now stopped live reporting and are doing interviews with analysts.
Protests have spread across the country as more police are deployed to contain them.
Basillioh Rukanga
Reporting from Nairobi
Fires were lit on the streets of the capital
Kenya’s biggest newspaper, the Daily Nation, is reporting that protests are taking place in at least 20 of the country's 47 counties.
At the peak of the protests last year, there were demonstrations in more than half of the counties.
Local TV stations have been broadcasting the events live, using split screens, alternating between dramatic scenes of mass marches, clouds of teargas, empty streets, and confrontations between protesters and police.
Protests are taking place in the capital, Nairobi, and the cities of Mombasa, Nakuru and Kisumu.
Ian Wafula
Reporting from Nairobi
I'm standing outside parliament, which was ground zero at the same time last year, when Kenyan youth, referred to as Gen Z, breached the wall in protests over the controversial Finance Bill 2024.
What began as a protest against the finance bill turned into a call for justice and accountability for good governance in this country.
Evidence collected at this ground show that police used excessive force and live bullets and actually lives were lost here.
Today the country finds itself in the same position – with demands for justice, especially against police brutality witnessed in the last couple of months.
The onus will be on them to see how they will handle the protesters as they try to express themselves.
Police have deployed water canons to disperse huge crowds of protesters heading to Nairobi's city centre.
Defiant protesters seem to be aiming to reach parliament, pushing back against repeated attempts by officers to disperse them.
Parliament was breached a year ago by angry young demonstrators, and part of the building was set alight.
David Maraga is among demonstrators in Nairobi
Kenya's former Chief Justice David Maraga is taking part in the protests against police brutality in Nairobi.
He condemned the "use of state violence" against grieving families and peaceful protesters.
"The flagrant violation of the constitution and human rights must stop," he said.
The former chief justice's participation in the demonstration is not surprising. He is a vocal critic of police brutality, and has ambitions to run for the presidency in the next election.
Opposition leaders Kalonzo Musyoka and Eugene Wamalwa have joined protesters in Nairobi and have called on police exercise restraint
The two laid wreaths outside parliament in honour of the people killed in anti-tax demonstrations a year ago.
"They were mowed down. Shot and killed, and a year later, nothing has happened," Musyoka said.
A heavy contingent of anti-riot police has been deployed in major cities amid fears of a confrontation with protesters.
Kenya's interior ministry has urged demonstrators not to "provoke the police" as they protest against police brutality.
"Respect the law, be responsible," it says in a post on X.
The involvement of young men carrying clubs and sticks to disrupt a protest last week has heightened fears that violence could mar today's demonstrations as well.
Last week, groups of young men riding motorbikes, and armed with whips and clubs, attacked protesters in the capital Nairobi's central business district.
Videos show the men – described locally as "goons" – seemingly working side-by-side with police, who fired teargas to try and disrupt the demonstrations.
The police have denied any link, saying it did not condone such "unlawful groupings."
A vendor was shot during the demonstration, sparking renewed outrage among Kenyans who accuse police of using excessive force against protesters. Police deny the allegation.
Razor wire was erected to block protesters from getting to parliament
Key roads in the city have been barricaded as Kenyans return to the streets in the capital, Nairobi and elsewhere around the country to mark the first anniversary of the deadly anti-government protests that peaked with the storming of parliament, leaving at least 60 people dead.
In Nairobi, motorists were being turned away at checkpoints some distance from the city centre, with people only allowed to proceed on foot.
Many businesses in the city centre remain shut for fear of being targeted for looting or getting damaged in the demonstrations.
There is a heavy deployment of security officers all around the city and in key state installations, including parliament and around State House, the president's official residence and office.
Ahead of the protests, parliament had been barricaded with razor wire to prevent protesters from getting in.
Police in Kenya have fired tear gas to disperse thousands of demonstrators who have taken to the streets in the country's major cities to mark the first anniversary of anti-government protests that culminated in the storming of parliament.
Businesses and schools in the capital, Nairobi, have been closed due to fears of violence and looting.
The protests come a year after the unprecedented demonstrations that saw parliament breached and over 60 people killed, with no convictions made so far sparking calls for justice and accountability.
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