Five killed during Kenya anti-tax protests – NGOs

• Published On: 25 June 2024 at 19:36

NGOs reported that during growing anti-tax hike protests in Kenya on Tuesday, police engaged in gunfire with protestors who had invaded the parliament compound in Nairobi, resulting in five shooting deaths and numerous injuries.

Tensions in the protests have drastically increased, catching the government off guard. The military has been called in to reinforce police, who have previously used tear gas, water cannon, rubber bullets and, according to a rights group, live ammunition against protestors.

A joint statement released by multiple NGOs, including Amnesty Kenya, detailed the dead and injured and stated that "despite the assurance by the government that the right to assembly would be protected and facilitated, today's protests have spiralled into violence."

More than ten Western countries, including Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, expressed their dismay at the events that transpired outside the Kenyan Parliament, and the White House called for calm.

Proposed tax hikes and simmering discontent over the cost-of-living crisis have been the main causes of the mostly youth-led rallies that have sparked the quickly expanding demonstrations.

"This represents the voice of Kenya's youth," attorney Elizabeth Nyaberi, 26, declared during a demonstration. "We don't care that they are using tear gas on us."

She continued, "We are here to speak for our generations as well as the generations to come."


Though most of the protests had been nonviolent, on Tuesday anarchy broke out in the nation's capital, with demonstrators hurling stones at law enforcement, breaching barriers, and eventually making their way into the grounds of Kenya's parliament.

Global web watcher NetBlocks said that the nation's internet service has seen a "major disruption" in the midst of the fighting.



"Unleashed force without mercy"

An AFP correspondent said that following the breach of the parliament compound, local TV displayed pictures of cars parked outside being vandalised and flags destroyed, as well as images of rooms that had been plundered and had windows smashed.

Video on privately owned Citizen TV shows someone setting fire to the governor's office at Nairobi City Hall, which is located only a few hundred metres from parliament. Someone was seen trying to put out the fire with a water cannon.

Kenya's biggest opposition coalition, Azimio, declared that the government had "unleashed brute force on our country's children" following allegations that demonstrators had been shot with live ammunition.


In a statement, it declared, "Kenya cannot afford to kill its children just because they are asking for food, jobs, and a listening ear."

According to a statement from Defence Minister Aden Bare Duale, the military was deployed "in response to the security emergency" throughout Kenya.

Thousands of demonstrators had earlier in the day marched peacefully through Nairobi's business sector, pushing back against barricades as they made their way to parliament, in spite of the heavy police presence.

Many of the demonstrators who were singing and beating drums were livestreaming the action as they made progress towards the parliament.

Images on Kenyan TV networks showed crowds marching through Mombasa, the port city, Kisumu, the opposition stronghold, and Eldoret, the home of Kenyan President William Ruto.

Following last week's marches in Nairobi, two people have died, according to rights groups and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority watchdog.

Amnesty International Kenya, among other organisations, said that at least 200 people were injured during last week's protests in Nairobi.

On Tuesday, the Kenya chapter of Amnesty International wrote on X that "the pattern of policing protests is deteriorating fast" and urged the government to uphold the right of protestors to assemble.

Human rights advocates have further charged that police had kidnapped demonstrators.

The Kenya Human Rights Commission demanded the "unconditional release of all abductees," stating that the majority of the kidnappings had happened at night and that the perpetrators had "conducted by police officers in civilian clothes and unmarked cars."

When AFP asked the police for comment on the accusations, they did not reply.



Increases in fuel prices

Last Monday, the cash-strapped government decided to reverse a number of tax increases.


However, it still plans to increase other taxes, claiming that doing so will help the state's finances and reduce its reliance on outside borrowing.

Due to the depreciation of the local currency over the past two years, Kenya has a massive mountain of debt whose servicing costs have skyrocketed, increasing the expense of interest payments on loans denominated in foreign currencies.

The tax increases would put additional strain on Kenyans, as many young people will still be unable to obtain well-paying work.

Following the government's decision to remove taxes on bread purchases, automobile ownership, financial services, and mobile devices, the Treasury issued a warning about a 200 billion shilling ($1.56 billion) budget deficit.

To make up for the gap left by the reforms, the government now plans to raise export taxes and fuel prices, a move that critics claim will increase living expenses in a nation already suffering from high inflation.

Despite having one of the most vibrant economies in all of Africa, Kenya's 52 million citizens live in poverty.