PRETORIA, July 7. /TASS/. Over 500 people were detained in Kenya on Monday, the nationwide protest day, the country’s police said.

In the course of the demonstrations, which escalated into riots, 567 people were detained, AFP reported. Earlier reports put the number of detainees at 37.

The Kenyan Human Rights Commission said ten people had been killed and 29 others injured in Kenya during the nationwide anti-government demonstrations on Monday. Rallies were held in 17 out of 47 constituent entities of Kenya. In some areas, they were accompanied by violence and looting.

The nationwide day of protest known as Saba Saba Day is held in Kenya on July 7, the seventh day of the seventh month. The first such rally, demanding free and fair elections, was held on July 7, 1990. The date has become a traditional day of opposition protests.

The situation in Kenya has been tense as of lately, due to clashes between protestors and unidentified groups trying to disperse rallies. The unrest claimed the lives of at least 19 people in June alone.