Kenyan police tried Tuesday morning to disperse demonstrators with tear gas converging in the center of the capital Nairobi, for the third day of an unprecedented anti-government mobilization led by youth which has swept the country in less than two weeks.
A large number of police officers in riot gear were deployed in the central business district (CBD) of Nairobi, the epicenter of previous demonstrations, notably blocking access to Parliament where the controversial draft budget which sparked the protest is currently under debate .
The first groups of demonstrators to arrive on site, many of them young people, some of whom were brandishing the Kenyan flag, were kept at bay by tear gas, noted an AFP journalist.
For this third day of action, organizers called for demonstrations across the country and a general strike.
Rallies began in several towns, including the opposition strongholds of Mombasa (east) and Kisumu (west), Eldoret, a large city in the Rift Valley, home region of President William Ruto, and Nakuru (central ), according to several local media.
This movement called “Occupy Parliament” was launched on social networks shortly after the presentation to Parliament on June 13 of the 2024-2025 budget providing for the introduction of new taxes – including a 16% VAT on bread and an annual tax of 2.5% on private vehicles.
After a first demonstration in Nairobi of several hundred people on June 18, the government announced that it would abandon most of the planned taxes.
But the hashtag #RejectFinanceBill2024 (“Rejection of the 2024 draft budget”) quickly crystallized widespread discontent among the population, hit by economic difficulties for several years, and on June 20 processions marched in many cities.
Police violence
Anti-tax demands have turned into a challenge to the policies of President Ruto, who said he was ready to dialogue with young people on Sunday.
“We have passed the stage of discussions and we cannot be silenced,” one of the organizers of the movement, journalist and activist Hanifa Adan, responded to AFP on Sunday.
Largely peaceful, the first two days of mobilization were marked by the death of two people in Nairobi.
Several dozen others were injured by police, who also made hundreds of arrests.
| © AFP Demonstration against the Kenyan government’s tax plans, June 23, 2024 in Nairobi |
“Despite mass arrests and injuries, the demonstrations continued to grow, highlighting the widespread discontent of the population,” Amnesty International Kenya said in a statement on Monday, warning of a risk of “escalation ( which) could lead to more deaths.
The NGO Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) accused the authorities of carrying out kidnappings of activists, carried out “mainly at night (…) by police officers in plain clothes and in unmarked cars”.
Kenyan police spokesperson Resila Onyango did not respond to requests from AFP about these accusations.
Total withdrawal
The draft budget must be voted on in Parliament before the end of the fiscal year on June 30.
| © AFP Young people take selfies during an anti-government protest in Nairobi, June 23, 2024 |
The demonstrators are demanding the complete withdrawal of the text, denouncing the sleight of hand of the government which announced the withdrawal of certain tax measures but plans to compensate them with others, in particular a 50% increase in taxes on fuel.
For the government, these taxes are necessary to restore room for maneuver to the country, which is heavily in debt.
Mr. Ruto assured on Sunday that the project included measures to combat youth unemployment and facilitate access to better education.
Kenya, an East African country of around 52 million inhabitants, is the economic powerhouse of the region. But in May it recorded inflation of 5.1% over one year, with an increase in food and fuel prices of 6.2% and 7.8% respectively, according to the Central Bank.
