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Kenya protests rage after deadly week of demonstrations against finance bill | Protest News
The High Court rules in favor of a petition demanding an end to the use of potentially deadly weapons by police.
Hundreds of people gathered for the funeral of a teenage protester killed during the Kenyan war anti-government protests while the death toll from days of unrest rose to 27.
Three more protesters died overnight on Friday as police continued a violent crackdown, with Kenya’s High Court ordering security forces to stop firing live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas and water cannons into the crowd.
The turmoil unfolded when young activists managed to forced the government to shelve $2.7 billion in tax increases this week, and are now focused on ending years of what they see as endemic corruption and shoddy governance.
Protesters say the finance bill that President William Ruto abandoned on Wednesday was just a symptom of the problems plaguing a country where many young people have few job prospects despite strong economic growth.
After promising to scrap the tax plan, Ruto now faces increasing pressure to resign.
The High Court ruled in favor of a petition filed by a lawyer representing the political opposition and human rights groups, demanding an end to the use of potentially deadly weapons by police against protesters. It also ordered the police to refrain from “extrajudicial killings, abductions and torture” against anti-tax protesters.
Demas Kiprono, acting executive director of the International Commission of Jurists Kenya Section, told Al Jazeera that the High Court’s decision to ban violent police tactics shows an acknowledgement that “something went wrong”.
“The petition alleges that the weapons and tactics used by police during the protests were egregious and violated a range of human rights, from freedom of expression and assembly to the right to life,” Kiprono said.
But he noted that the court has no mechanism to ensure that the police comply with the ruling. “So it is up to other instruments of government – the national police service commission, the executive – to respect this order.”
‘We want better living conditions’
Writer and activist Nanjala Nyabola said most of those involved in the recent protests were motivated by legitimate and strong grievances against the government.
“Until these grievances are resolved, it is unlikely they will be willing to make concessions.”
How the diffuse, leaderless movement, largely organized through social media, pursues its goals remains an open question — and a source of internal debate.
Christine Odera, co-chair of the Kenyan Coalition for Youth, Peace and Security, a civil society organization, said there was a need to formalize its structures to promote the interests of young people and speak to the government.
“If we go organically, we might miss the whole conversation,” said Odera, who has participated in the protests. “The president said we need to have conversations. We can’t all sit in a stadium and have a conversation.”
Others disagree. Ojango Omondi of the Social Justice Centres Working Group, a community activist group in a poor district of Nairobi, said establishing national structures and representatives could allow the movement to be corrupted by politicians.
“We don’t need to negotiate anything,” he said. “All we want is better living conditions. All we want is for the leaders to stop using our resources … to sponsor their luxurious lifestyles.”
Another moment to watch could be the government’s next proposal to raise revenue. Some protesters suspect it will still try to force tax increases. In a country where protests have traditionally been driven by ethnic affinities, the current youth-led demonstrations have been notable for building unity around common grievances.
‘Class and wealth disparity’
But cracks are already emerging. Despite Mr. Ruto’s about-face on tax hikes, some protesters called for a planned march on his residence to go ahead on Thursday in a bid to remove him from power. Others dismissed the idea as a dangerous move. In the end, there were smaller protests in several cities.
In Ruto’s hometown and political stronghold of Eldoret – where thousands of people from different ethnic groups took to the streets on Tuesday – a human rights activist said some tensions had resurfaced since the president withdrew the tax bill.
Nicholas Omito, CEO of the Centre for Human Rights and Mediation, said protesters from Ruto’s Kalenjin ethnic group argued the protests should end now, while ethnic Kikuyus insist they should continue until Ruto resigns.
Protesters posted on social media accusing local politicians of trying to stir up trouble to undermine the movement.
Nyabola, the writer, said she did not think ethnic divisions posed a risk to a movement that was distinguished by its sense of national purpose.
“You’re never going to get rid of it completely,” she said. “But for now, the class and wealth disparity between politicians and ordinary people has been the focus.”