Kenyan Protesters Vow More Demonstrations Against Tax Hikes, As Ruto Kills 25

Kenyan riot police react as a tear gas grenade they threw explodes next to them, during clashes with rock-throwing opposition protesters in the Kibera slum of the capital Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, May 2, 2023. The fresh round of demonstrations called by opposition leader Raila Odinga demanded action to tackle the cost of living and reforms to the electoral commission that oversaw last year's election that was won by President William Ruto. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
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NAIROBI,– Kenyan protesters have pledged to continue their demonstrations against recent tax hikes, following violent clashes outside parliament and across the country that resulted in at least 23 deaths and numerous injuries.

As heavily armed police patrolled the streets of Nairobi on Wednesday, supporters of the week-old protest movement took to social media, using the hashtag #tutanethursday, a blend of Swahili and English meaning “see you on Thursday.”

An online wave of anger over the tax increases has transformed into a nationwide protest movement demanding a political overhaul, presenting the most serious challenge yet to President William Ruto’s two-year-old presidency.

On Tuesday, police opened fire on crowds gathered around parliament. Protesters breached the assembly’s compound shortly after lawmakers approved the contentious tax measures.

According to The Nation newspaper, protests erupted in at least 35 of Kenya’s 47 counties, from major cities to rural areas, including Ruto’s hometown of Eldoret in his ethnic Kalenjin heartland.

The Kenya Medical Association reported that at least 23 people were killed across the country, with another 30 being treated for bullet wounds. In Nairobi, the main public mortuary received the bodies of six people killed in Tuesday’s protests. Additionally, the Kenyatta National Hospital treated two fatalities and 160 injured individuals, health officials confirmed.

Social media has been a focal point for expressing frustration, particularly in response to Ruto’s speech following the clashes, where he labeled the attack on parliament as the work of “criminals pretending to be peaceful protesters.”

One social media user posted, “Good morning fellow CRIMINALS Tupatane Thursday To do what CRIMINALS do,” calling for continued protests. Others urged people to occupy State House, the president’s office and residence, on Thursday, and to target local offices of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday.

Ruto, in a televised address late Tuesday, claimed that the debate over the tax measures had been “hijacked by dangerous people.” The government has ordered the army to assist the police in managing the “security emergency,” though no troops were reported on the streets of Nairobi on Wednesday.

Protester Wellington Ogolla expressed his determination to continue demonstrating. “It’s our right to demonstrate… We are just expressing ourselves,” he told Reuters amidst the lingering smell of tear gas in downtown Nairobi.

While lawmakers removed some tax hikes from the final finance bill, including those on bread and cooking oil, they included others to avoid a budget shortfall. Protesters, organized primarily through social media, demand the entire bill be scrapped and are now calling for Ruto’s resignation.

Ruto, who won the election nearly two years ago on a platform of supporting Kenya’s working poor, finds himself balancing the demands of lenders such as the IMF, which urges deficit reduction for further financing, against the needs of a struggling population.

The unrest has also affected aid organizations. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) reported that its staff were hurt and traumatized when stones were thrown at one of its ambulances during Tuesday’s clashes. The Kenya Red Cross also reported attacks on its staff and vehicles, without providing further details.

Source: Reuters