Protesters stage a sit-down outside Kisumu State Lodge

Even after President William Ruto announced that he had declined to sign the Finance Bill, 2024, protesters took to the streets of Kisumu on Thursday morning.

The protesters, who were calling on the President to resign, converged at Kondele around 10am and marched all the way to the city center.

Some of the protesters marched to Kisumu State Lodge which was under heavy security by a contingent of anti-riot police officers.

Earlier on, the police had lobbed teargas canisters to disperse demonstrators who had gathered around Patel Flats roundabout.

The protestors re-grouped and marched towards the CBD using the Kisumu-Kakamega Road.

Eventually the protesters reached the State Lodge via the Jomo Kenyatta Highway, where they came face to face with a police cordon in an armored vehicle.
 
The vehicle is one of the newly acquired fleet of DCD Protected Mobility Springbuck armored personnel carriers that were dispatched by the Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki a few months ago.

The demonstrators staged a sit-down outside the State Lodge and expressed their frustrations with the government to the officers.

The protesters expressed their frustration with the government, citing corruption, unemployment, and a poor healthcare system.

“We are demanding the president's resignation, a change in leadership and a more accountable government to address the needs of the people. We are also calling for a lifestyle audit on the public officers to unearth the source of their wealth,” said Martin Oduso, a protestor.

They also lamented wastage and misappropriation of public funds by politicians and government officials.