Kenya was bracing today for fresh protest action against the government after anti-tax hike demonstrations last month descended into violence that left dozens of people dead.
Activists have stepped up their campaign against President William Ruto despite his announcement last week that he would not sign into law a controversial finance bill that triggered what he has branded “treasonous” protests.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said on Monday that 39 people had been killed and 361 injured during two weeks of demonstrations, and condemned the use of force against protesters as “excessive and disproportionate”.
Largely peaceful rallies against a raft of tax increases — led by mostly young Gen-Z Kenyans on social media — turned into shocking scenes of deadly chaos on Tuesday last week when lawmakers passed the deeply unpopular legislation.
After the announcement of the vote, crowds ransacked the parliament complex in central Nairobi and it was partly set ablaze as police fired live bullets at protesters.
Ruto had said in a television interview on Sunday that 19 people had lost their lives, but defended his decision to call in the armed forces to tackle the unrest and insisted he did not have “blood on my hands”.
It is the most serious crisis to confront the president since he took office in September 2022 following a deeply divisive election in a nation often considered a beacon of stability in a turbulent region.
