39 Killed In Kenya’s Tax Hike Protests

In the East African country of Kenya, a strong movement against the government’s tax policy has been going on for a couple of days. Centering this, 39 people have been killed in clashes with law and order forces in the capital Nairobi in the last week. At least 361 others were injured. Besides, at least 32 people are still missing. Since last Tuesday (June 25), 627 people have been arrested for their involvement in protests and subversive activities.

Kenya’s human rights organization The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) confirmed this to Qatar-based media Al Jazeera, saying that “the country’s young generation is leading the movement”.

On Tuesday, a proposal to increase taxes on almost all types of commodities was passed in the Kenyan Parliament. As soon as the motion was passed, protests started all over Nairobi, including Parliament Square. Protesters torched a police box in Parliament Square, resulting in the open fire by the police to disperse the agitated crowd.

The protesters’ main demand is the resignation of President William Ruto, who won the September 2022 election. Since that election, Kenya’s political divisions have become increasingly acute.

William Ruto addressed the nation on Kenyan government television on Sunday (June 30). In that speech, he said that 19 people have been killed in the movement so far. However, the law and order forces are not responsible for their deaths, they lost their lives due to the conflict and chaos “among themselves”.

Ruto also said in the speech that he has no intention or plan to resign in the near future.

KNCHR reported that since the broadcast of Sunday’s speech, the protesters have become more desperate. They have now started vandalism as well as setting fire to various government buildings.

Along with that, the protestors have called to spread the movement across the country. Kenya’s social media is abuzz with hashtags such as ‘Occupy everywhere’, ‘Go Away Ruto’, and ‘Abolish the Budget Corrupters’, etc.

Among the few politically stable countries on the African continent, Kenya was at the forefront; But international political analysts think that the anti-government movement and its intensity have shaken that stability a lot.

NDTV World, Al Jazeera