Kenya: Police Lob Teargas to Disperse Scrap Metal Dealers Demonstration That Turned Violent

Nairobi — Police were on Tuesday forced to lob teargas to disperse scrap metal dealers who were holding a demonstration in Nairobi to protest the ban imposed on the industry.

The protestors who were demanding that President Uhuru Kenyatta lifts the ban turned violent and began to burn tyres as they barricaded a section of the Cathedral Road in Upperhill.

The traders also wanted the Values Added Tax (VAT) which they described as too high to be reduced.

The government last month announced that all scrap metal dealers will have to seek fresh licensing, as part of measures aimed at curbing runaway vandalism associated with the sector.

The fresh licensing directive is among new regulations that have been proposed to control the sector, before the lifting of a ban on the trade of scrap metal ordered by President Uhuru Kenyatta on January 20, 2022.