What Is Happening In Kenya?
Over 200 people have been injured and at least five people have died after the Kenyan police opened fire on a group demonstrators who stormed the parliament building on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, breaking through police lines and lighting a portion of it on fire. In one of Kenya’s biggest protests in decades, one protester is confirmed to have been shot in the head while holding the Kenyan flag.
Despite his earlier admiration for citizens expressing their constitutional rights and his vow to resolve the issues, President William Ruto claimed on Tuesday that “criminals” have taken over the protests and expressed regret for the lives lost.
Why Have Kenyans Hit The Streets?
To lower the budget deficit and state borrowing, the Kenyan government plans to collect an additional $2.7 billion in taxes through the 2024–25 finance bill. The proposed measures have sparked demonstrations including a new motor vehicle circulation tax, set at 2.5% of an automobile’s value to be paid annually, as well as new fees on necessities like bread, vegetable oil, and sugar. There are also plans to impose a “eco levy” on the majority of manufactured goods, including diapers and sanitary towels. The measure also suggests raising the current financial transaction taxes in addition to the current ones.
According to the Kenyan government , these tax changes are required to reduce public debt and finance development initiatives. The government moderated its stance last week when President Ruto supported suggestions to eliminate certain new taxes, including those on bread, cars, and locally produced goods, but protesters claim that the concessions are insufficient and that the measures should be abandoned completely.
Protests Are Not New In Kenya
There have been previous attempts by Kenyan citizens to oppose some finance bills. President William Ruto’s administration, which was elected in 2022 on the promise of improving the lives of the impoverished, utilized the bill last year to hike the top personal income tax rate and impose a housing tax, which infuriated the public and led to legal battles and street demonstrations.
The 2024 protests got more intense when lawmakers decided to move the bill forward to the committee stage, indicating a progress towards its assent. This is the third in two weeks, Tuesday’s protest is a last-ditch effort to urge the parliament to reject the 2024 Finance Bill.
What Does This Mean For Kenyans?
Following President Ruto’s offer of negotiations on Sunday, at least two activists have been arrested, Kenya’s internet connectivity has also substantially slowed down, and citizens believe it is an attempt by the government to stop information of the protests from getting out.
Faith Odhiambo, the president of the Kenya Law Society, announced earlier on Tuesday that 50 Kenyans, among them her personal assistant, had been “abducted” by individuals purported to be police officials. Civil society organizations claim that a portion of the missing were those who actively participated in the demonstrations and were forcibly removed from their homes, places of employment, and public areas prior to Tuesday’s events.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission has asked President Ruto to make an urgent order to “stop the killings” and posted a video of police shooting at protestors, threatening to hold them accountable.
