Kenya police use teargas to disperse anti-France protesters near Macron summit

Wednesday May 13, 2026

Teargas billowed through Nairobi’s city centre on Tuesday as Kenyan police moved to break up dozens of anti-France protesters who tried to push toward the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), the venue for the Africa Forward Summit.

Police in Kenya fired teargas to stop surging protesters from reaching a conference centre in Nairobi, where France summit was being held on May 12. / Reuters

Teargas billowed through Nairobi’s city centre on Tuesday as Kenyan police moved to break up dozens of anti-France protesters who tried to push toward the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), the venue for the Africa Forward Summit.

The demonstrators had assembled along Uhuru Highway, waving red flags and holding placards denouncing imperialism before anti-riot officers intervened and cut off their route to the tightly secured summit site.

Footage from the scene showed police chasing protesters through sections of the city centre as teargas filled the air. Several demonstrators were also seen being forced into police vehicles during the operation.

Heavy security presence

Police tightened security cordon around roads leading to KICC.

The confrontation came as more than 30 African and European leaders met in Nairobi for the Africa Forward Summit, which Kenya and France are co-hosting and which is centered on trade, investment, infrastructure and climate partnerships.

French President Emmanuel Macron, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and several African heads of state are attending the summit alongside business leaders, diplomats and development partners.

Security presence remained high across central Nairobi throughout the day, with police restricting movement around major government installations, hotels and roads connected to the summit venue.