Gangs said to be on the payroll of the government took control of the central business district of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, looting shops, robbing and battering pedestrians as they chanted slogans in praise William Ruto’s administration.

Unverified reports said the gangs from Kangemi and Kawangware slums were paid by the Nairobi county government to counter planned protests the murder of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody last week. The gangs who chanted “Ruto tano tena, Ruto tano teno (Kiswahili for Ruto will be elected for another five-year term, Ruto will be elected for another five-year term), also carried placards that praised Ruto.

In some instances, police seemed to protect the gangs who went about on brazen looting of shops and restaurants as police looked. In contrast, the police shot and injured scores of peaceful protesters calling for the resignation of Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat, a key suspect in the murder of Ojwang.

On Sunday, Mr Lagat opted to step aside but public sentiments have been against his retention in the police service. Popular opinion inside the service and the public court of opinion is that that he should be relieved of his position to answer charges of murder.

On Tuesday evening, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights described Lagat’s “stepping aside” as a mockery of the constitution. The commission said the constitution compels the officer to resign, failing which he be sacked by the appointing authority – the president.

It is highly unlikely that Lagat will bow public pressure as he, together with Officer Commanding Central Police Station in Nairobi where Ojwang was murdered, are President Ruto’s kinsmen. Talam was arrested at the weekend and likely to face murder charges.

Inside the police service, junior officers have openly complained about Lagat’s impunity and excesses. Thy complain that Lagat has no regard for Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja, an assertion corroborated by former Kenya National Service Commission Chair Johnston Kavuludi.

Kavuludi told Tell Media Lagat answers to President Ruto only and even makes decisions without consulting the IGP Kanja.

One person was killed in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Tuesday during protests sparked by the death of a blogger in police custody that has inflamed long-standing accusations of extrajudicial killings by security forces.

A video aired on Kenyan broadcaster Citizen Television’s X account showed two policemen repeatedly striking the man on his head before one of them fired at him with a long-barrelled gun as he tried to walk away. The man fell to the ground as people in the crowd shouted: “You have killed him”.

Another video aired on the Nation newspaper’s website featured a witness saying the dead man was selling face masks and was not a protester. The two videos could not be independently verified.

Kenya’s police spokesperson, Muchiri Nyaga, said he was waiting to confirm details of the incident and that no fatalities had been reported on Tuesday.

The death of 31-year-old blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang on June 8 has been a lightning rod for public anger, a year after more than 60 people were killed during protests initially sparked by proposed tax increases.

Police first said he had committed suicide, but Kenya’s police chief later apologised after an independent autopsy found that Ojwang’s wounds pointed to assault as the cause of death.

As demonstrators took to the streets of Nairobi on Tuesday, police fired tear gas. Clashes also broke out when unidentified motorcyclists beat up protesters, dispersing them, the Reuters journalist said.

Local broadcaster NTV showed video of the bikers shouting “No protests.”

Amnesty International’s Kenya chapter, in a post on X, referred to the presence of dozens of motorbikes with two hooded passengers whipping protesters and members of the public.

President Ruto said last week that Ojwang had died “at the hands of the police” which he called “heart-breaking and unacceptable.”

Ojwang was arrested as part of an investigation triggered by a formal complaint by deputy police Chief Eliud Lagat, according to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority watchdog.

At least 100 people were killed, according to Amnesty International.

Citizen TV said demonstrations also erupted in Kenya’s second largest city Mombasa on Tuesday, and showed protesters shouting slogans and holding placards saying “Stop killing us”.

Last week, hundreds of people demonstrated in Nairobi over the blogger’s death, with vehicles set ablaze.

Lagat said on Monday he had stepped aside temporarily, pending the completion of an investigation into Ojwang’s death.

Two senior officers and a closed-circuit television (CCTV) technician, who had been called to dismantle the CCTV at the police station, have been arrested in connection with the investigation.

• A Tell Media / Reuters report