NAIROBI (Reuters) -Around 100 protesters hurled rocks at police in a poor neighbourhood of Nairobi on Wednesday as three days of demonstrations against the cost of living and tax hikes kicked off in Kenya.
Protesters burned tires in the Kibera neighbourhood, often a flashpoint for stand-offs with security forces, and were met with volleys of tear gas by police.
The city centre was largely deserted with many businesses closed, and police erected checkpoints on roads leading to the State House.
The Nation newspaper reported that police arrested suspected protesters in Homa Bay in the west of the country.
Two rounds of protests earlier this month descended into violence when police fired tear gas, and in some cases live rounds, at the crowds. At least 15 people were killed and hundreds arrested.
Kenya's opposition called for the protests in part because of tax hikes passed last month by the government of President William Ruto, who was elected last August pledging to champion the interests of the poor but has seen the price of basic commodities balloon under his administration.
The government says the fuel and housing levies, which are expected to raise an extra 200 billion shillings ($1.4 billion) a year, are needed to help deal with growing debt repayments and to fund job-creation initiatives.
Churches and civil rights groups have called for Ruto and veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga to resolve their differences through dialogue and call off the protests.
"It is not too late for Azmio to halt the planned protests and give talks another shot in the wider interest of the country," Non-Governmental Organisation Council of Kenya Chairman Stephen Kipchumba Cheboi said in a statement on Tuesday.
Odinga has failed to win the last five presidential votes, but has secured senior positions in government in the past by making deals with those in power following spasms of unrest.
On Friday Ruto accused Odinga of attempting to leverage discontent over the state of the economy to attain personal political goals.
"We recognise the daily hardship faced by many Kenyans and urge all parties to table their concerns through a meaningful dialogue," a group of 12 foreign embassies said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Hereward Holland; Editing by Stephen Coates and Angus MacSwan)
