At least 13 people died on Tuesday in Kenya during protests calling for the withdrawal of the 2024 finance bill (PLF), the president of the Kenya Medical Association, Simon Kigondu, announced on Wednesday.
“So far we have at least 13 people killed, but this is not the final number,” Simon Kigondu told the press, referring to an unprecedented level of violence against unarmed people.
For their part, organizers called for a new day of mobilization on Thursday in honor of the demonstrators who lost their lives on Tuesday.
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In a speech given Tuesday evening at the end of the third day of mobilization against the draft budget, President William Ruto condemned the violence which marked Tuesday’s demonstrations, marked in particular by an intrusion and a fire in the precincts of Parliament in Nairobi.
He described as “betrayal” the storming of the Kenyan parliament by protesters, who destroyed equipment in the chamber, some of which was set on fire.
Meanwhile, Ruto commended the young protesters, known as “Generation Z,” who have been at the forefront of the demonstrations, “for initiating a relevant debate,” noting however that the debate must be conducted “in a manner that respects the rule of law and institutions.”
For his part, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” by the violence linked to the demonstrations, saying he was saddened by reports of deaths and injuries.
The draft budget sparked an outcry among Kenyans who launched a protest movement called “Occupy Parliament,” although the governing coalition announced the removal of several controversial taxes from the initial text before it was referred to the Commission.
The strong mobilization against this draft budget, which provides for the introduction of new taxes, began on social networks, before giving rise to street demonstrations across the country.
With MAP
