Kenya Finance Bill: Police fire tear gas as protests continue

Image caption: Large contingents of security forces have been deployed to the capitalArticle information

• Author, Basillioh Rukanga
• Function, BBC News, Nairobi

• June 27, 2024

Kenyan police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the capital Nairobi who had turned out to express their anger at the government and mourn people killed in previous protests.

Security forces, including the military, have been heavily mobilized, and roads are blocked around important buildings in the city.

This comes two days after more than 20 people lost their lives in protests against tax hikes, which resulted in part of parliament being set on fire.

The next day, President William Ruto bowed to pressure and said he would withdraw the finance bill containing the unpopular tax proposals.

State agents have been accused of kidnapping hundreds of people linked to the protests.

Kenya’s state-funded National Commission said it helped secure the release of more than 300 people “illegally detained”.

Protesters have vowed to gather again in downtown Nairobi to mourn the dead. Some have demanded the president’s resignation.

But turnout in the capital on Thursday was much smaller than at the previous protest, when people stormed parliament.

Groups of protesters tried to enter the city center, but most were repelled by the police.

Ahead of the protests, some vowed to march to the president’s official residence, the State House.

But prominent people close to the protests have warned against it due to the risk of further violence.

Roads leading to the State House were blocked, with police preventing some drivers and pedestrians from passing.

Earlier on Thursday, local television stations showed empty streets in the central business district, with many security forces on patrol.

There were also protests in cities across the country.

In Mombasa, Kenya’s second-largest city, large crowds took to the streets chanting “Ruto must go”, and businesses were forced to close due to some looting and stone-throwing.

President Ruto’s hometown of Eldoret, which saw violent clashes on Tuesday, is calm.

But there were some clashes in Migori, western Kenya, where police fired tear gas as they clashed with protesters.

Crowds of protesters clashed with security officials in Kisumu, also in the west.

Ahead of Thursday’s protests, Auma Obama, half-sister of former US President Barack Obama, told the BBC that young people were taking to the streets again because “they still want their voices to be heard”.

Mrs Obama, who was teargassed while attending Tuesday’s protests, told BBC Newsday that young people were still hurt.

Mr Ruto promised to engage with them but that has not happened yet, she said.

“The grievances are not over. It’s way beyond the finance bill, so a conversation has to happen. There has to be a dialogue. I hope that happens. We don’t want any more bloodshed,” Mrs. Obama added.

Mr Ruto won the presidency in 2022 after campaigning on defending the interests of the “hustler” — the ordinary citizen struggling to earn a living.

But since then he has introduced a series of taxes and raised others, which have made him unpopular as people complain they cannot afford to pay more when they are already struggling because of the cost of living crisis.

The finance bill outlined plans to introduce new taxes this year, including on bread and cooking oil, triggering mass protests.

The government bowed to pressure and cut some taxes, but did little to ease people’s concerns, who demanded the bill be withdrawn entirely.

On Wednesday, the president caved in to the demands, saying “the people have spoken.”

But he defended the bill, saying his government had made the tough choices needed to stabilize the economy and help Kenya out of a debt trap that forces it to spend 61 cents of every tax dollar to service its loans.

Mr Ruto now aims to balance the books by introducing a new public austerity programme, including a cut in his cabinet spending.

Additional reporting by Gladys Kigo in Nairobi, Rhoda Odhiambo and David Wafula in Eldoret and Najib Juma Balo in Mombasa.

Image caption, Roads leading to important buildings were blocked. Image caption, At least 22 people were killed in Tuesday’s protests

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Image source, Getty Images/BBC

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