Police in Nairobi arrested several human rights activists on Tuesday, May 12, after they attempted to access the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) during the ongoing Africa Forward Summit.
The protesters were intercepted by police officers along Uhuru Highway as they tried to move closer to the summit venue.
Witnesses said some demonstrators, including foreign nationals, were forcefully pushed into police vehicles and taken away.
Security around the convention centre was significantly heightened following the confrontation, with officers heavily deployed around KICC and access roads leading to the venue sealed off.
The activists were demonstrating against France and President Emmanuel Macron, accusing the French government of imperialism and objecting to its involvement in the summit.
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Carrying placards and chanting anti-imperialism slogans, the protesters called for an end to what they termed as foreign interference in African affairs.
Police later responded by firing teargas and shooting into the air in an effort to disperse the crowd, although some protesters remained at the scene in defiance.
After briefly scattering, a section of the demonstrators regrouped moments later before more police Land Cruiser vehicles arrived.
Several protesters were then forcibly arrested and driven away as others fled to avoid being detained.
Elsewhere, on Monday, May 11, Macron momentarily halted a youth forum at the University of Nairobi after expressing frustration over noise from sections of the audience during the event.
Macron and President William Ruto had been engaging young people in discussions centered on technology, education reforms, innovation, and Africa’s digital future.
The interruption occurred as one of the speakers was addressing attendees and noise levels inside the auditorium continued to rise.
Macron then walked to the stage, took the microphone and directly addressed those causing the disturbance.
Speaking to the audience, Macron said the noise was making it difficult for speakers to continue with the discussion.
"I'm sorry guys, but it's impossible to speak about culture to have people like that super inspired coming here, making a speech with such a noise," he said.
Macron further criticized the conduct, describing it as disrespectful to the speakers and other participants attending the forum.
"This is a total lack of respect! So I suggest if you want to have bilaterals or speak about somebody else, I mean something else, you have bilateral rooms or you go outside. If you want to stay here, we listen to the people and we're playing the same game, okay?" he added.
