Police surround a protester on the ground in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, June 25, 2024, during a demonstration against new taxes planned by the government (AFP / SIMON MAINA)
Kenyan President William Ruto pledged Tuesday to firmly repress “violence and anarchy” after new demonstrations against his tax plans, marked by at least 5 deaths according to NGOs and a chaotic intrusion into Parliament in Nairobi.
The government announced in the evening that it had called in the army to deal with the situation, while the United States and more than a dozen European countries said they were “deeply concerned” and called for calm.
Police used tear gas, water cannons, plastic bullets and live ammunition to disperse the protesters, according to several NGOs.
“Despite assurances from the government that the right to assemble would be protected and facilitated, today’s protests have degenerated into violence,” the NGOs, including Amnesty Kenya, said in a statement announcing the death toll of at least five and 31 injured.
They also say they have noted 21 kidnappings of people by “officers in uniform or in civilian clothes” in the last 24 hours.
A protester returns a tear gas grenade towards the police on Tuesday in Nairobi, Kenya, June 25, 2024, during a demonstration against new taxes (AFP / Tony KARUMBA)
The main opposition coalition, Azimio, accused the government of having “unleashed its brute force against the children of our country”.
“Kenya cannot afford to kill its children just because they are asking for food, jobs and a listening ear. The police must therefore immediately stop shooting innocent, peaceful and unarmed children,” he said. Azimio in a press release.
“We will provide a full, effective and rapid response to today’s treasonous events,” William Ruto told a press briefing in the capital Nairobi, saying the protests had been “hijacked by dangerous people.
“It is not normal, or even conceivable, that criminals posing as peaceful demonstrators can unleash a reign of terror against the people, their elected representatives and the institutions established by our constitution, and expect not to be worried,” he added.
The Kenyan government deployed the army to support the police “in response to the security emergency” and to these “destructions and intrusions into crucial infrastructure”, Defense Minister Aden Bare announced early in the evening.
– “The voice of youth” –
In Washington, the White House condemned “violence in all its forms” and called for calm, said a spokesperson for the National Security Council. “The United States is closely monitoring the situation in Nairobi,” she added.
Protesters carry an injured man near Parliament in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 25, 2024, during a demonstration against new taxes (AFP / LUIS TATO)
The United States and more than a dozen European countries including Germany, France and the United Kingdom declared themselves “strongly concerned” by the violence.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” by the violence and “saddened” by the deaths and injuries reported, said his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
The head of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, also expressed “deep concern” and called on the country to refrain from further violence.
Tension increased during the day in the central business district (CBD) of Nairobi for this third demonstration in eight days of the “Occupy Parliament” movement opposed to the 2024-25 draft budget and its new taxes.
“We are the voice of youth in Kenya,” said Elizabeth Nyaberi, a 26-year-old lawyer and protester. “They are tear gassing us, but we don’t care. We are here to speak on behalf of our generation and for those who will follow.”
AFP journalists present in central Nairobi saw three lifeless people lying in pools of blood near Parliament, where a building briefly caught fire.
After initial clashes with the police around midday, demonstrators entered Parliament, where deputies had just approved amendments to the text, which must be voted on by June 30.
The police regained control of the scene after a few tens of minutes. Television images showed ransacked rooms, overturned tables, broken windows and smoking furniture strewn across gardens.
Furthermore, the internet network in Kenya had been disrupted since mid-afternoon, AFP noted.
“Significant” disruptions, confirmed NetBlocks, an organization monitoring the world’s telecommunications network, specifying that the authorities had affirmed the day before that they would not block the internet.
– “Afraid of nothing” –
Other demonstrations were held in several other cities, notably in the opposition strongholds of Mombasa (east) and Kisumu (west), as well as in Eldoret (west), a large city in the Rift Valley, region of Origin of President William Ruto.
“Occupy Parliament” was launched on social networks shortly after the presentation to Parliament on June 13 of the 2024-2025 draft budget providing in particular for a 16% VAT on bread and an annual tax of 2.5% on private vehicles. .
For the government, taxes are necessary to restore room for maneuver to the country, which is heavily in debt.
After the start of protests, the government announced on June 18 that it was withdrawing most of the measures, but the demonstrators are demanding the complete withdrawal of the text.
Demonstration against the Kenyan government’s tax plans, June 23, 2024 in Nairobi (AFP / Patrick Meinhardt)
The movement has transformed into a broader challenge to the policies of President Ruto, who said he was ready for dialogue on Sunday.
“We are not afraid of anything,” said Stephanie Wangari, unemployed, 24 years old: “Ruto has never kept his promises, even to provide work for young people. We are tired. Let him go.”
Before Tuesday, this mobilization had already been marked by the death of two people in Nairobi, as well as dozens of injuries and hundreds of arrests.
