Kenyan President William Ruto has urged his main political rival Raila Odinga to call off protests against his government.
In a televised address on the eve of a fourth day of protests -- dubbed "Mega Monday" by the opposition, the Kenyan leader called for calm and urged Odinga to cancel his planned action.
"I urge my brother Raila Odinga, and the opposition, to call off the demonstrations, and to give this bipartisan approach a chance for us to take the country forward," Ruto said in a nationwide address from State House.
President Ruto also urged ''all Kenyans to remain peaceful and law-abiding and I assure them that the Government of Kenya will continue with its sacred duty of protecting their lives and their property, including their businesses."
Three people have died since anti-governmental protests erupted on March 20 and businesses have been looted, property vandalised, and some journalists attacked.
The violence in Kenya has alarmed its neighbours and sparked international calls for calm and dialogue.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga has called for protests every Monday and Thursday, accusing Ruto of stealing last year's election and of failing to control the surging cost of living.
