The demonstrators poured into the capital's streets after midday prayers, carrying placards criticising US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair and shouting: "Down, down USA, Bush is a terrorist."

The demonstrators then marched to the foreign affairs ministry, where Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) acting secretary general Sheikh Adan Owachu made a speech criticising the US.

"We must make full cognizance of the developments in Iraq and the invading forces must leave Iraq. The appointment of an American governor-general to administer Iraq must be resisted by the international community," Owachu told the protesters.

Owachu said "the protest was to support the fight to end all forms of injustices against the Iraqi people and to press for an end to the US occupation of Iraq."

"Americans have failed to prove to the world that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction and must therefore be held accountable for the destruction and compensate all Iraqi families killed or injured as a result of the war," SUPKEM coordinator Hassan Omar told journalists at the demostration.

The Kenyan government has said UN Security Council backing should have been obtained before hostilities were launched against Iraq.

Last Sunday SUPKEM called on the Kenyan government to close down the US and British embassies in Nairobi in protest at the two countries' invasion of Iraq.

SUPKEM chairman Abdulghafur al-Busaidy urged Kenya to ignore calls by the US to close down the Iraqi diplomatic mission in Nairobi.

SUPKEM also urged the UN to provide guidelines that will curb US exploitation and unjust enrichment from Iraqi's oil resources.

Kenyan Foreign Minister Kalonzo Musyoka said last week that the government was still "studying" that request.

Musyoka again appealed to Kenyans on Friday to be patient and stop demanding closure of the US and British embassies in Nairobi, saying "Kenya is not at war with any of them, including Iraq."

Musyoka said that Kenya was reviewing its position on the Iraqi crisis following latest reports of the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.

"Kenya will safeguard Iraqi government property, if need be, for the new regime," Musyoka assured US ambassador to Kenya Johnnie Carson, who made a courtesy call at his office on Friday.

Carson expressed satisfaction over the developments in Iraq and said the United States "was Kenya's largest bilateral partner and would continue to assist programmes in the country."

SPACE.WIRE