Kenyan protesters hurl rocks at police as three-day tax protests begin

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan protesters hurled rocks at police, which responded with volleys of tear gas, in skirmishes in the country's major cities on Wednesday as three days of demonstrations against high costs of living and tax hikes kicked off.

Two water-cannon trucks and dozens of riot police were stationed at the entrance to the Kibera neighbourhood in Nairobi, where protesters burned tires and engaged in running battles with security forces.

Schools were closed in the capital Nairobi, the port city of Mombasa and in Kisumu, the country's third-largest city. Nairobi city centre was largely deserted with many businesses shut, while police erected checkpoints on roads leading to State House, President William Ruto's official residence.

A private sector lobby group says that protests this year have cost the economy more than $20 million per day, and civic leaders have warned about sporadic incidents of apparent ethnic-based violence.

Kenyan politics are often defined by tribal alliances, and fighting along ethnic lines after disputed elections in 2007 and 2017 killed hundreds of people. However, political analysts say the latest protests are unlikely to spiral into widespread ethnic violence as Ruto's support base cuts across ethnic groups.

A TV station controlled by the Azimio La Umoja opposition party led by Raila Odinga tweeted that his spokesperson had been arrested, while the Nation newspaper also reported arrests of suspected protesters in Homa Bay in the west of the country.