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Riot police are out in force on the streets of Nairobi after protest leaders promised a third day of demonstrations against constitution reforms.One person has been killed in the banned protests that have turned the centre of Nairobi into a battle ground.
President Mwai Kibaki has promised Kenyans a new constitution - the first rewrite since independence from Britain in 1963. Mr Kibaki said he would carry out the reforms within 100 days of coming to power but the process has dragged out and he has now served two-and-a-half years. A version recommended last year by a wide cross-section of Kenyans called for most authority go to a new prime minister's post. But a new version, the Kilifi Draft, drawn up by a government-dominated parliamentary committee, waters down the prime minister's position and leaves the president supreme role. Activists promised: "We will put up as much protest as necessary to stop a few politicians disregarding the will of the people." The violence has raised fears of a return to the violent days under former President Daniel arap Moi, whose authoritarian 24-year rule ended in 2002. About 20 people were detained during the violence. Ten of them appeared in court on Thursday morning charged with creating a disturbance and malicious damage.
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