5 People Shot Dead, 13 Injured In Kenya During Protests Against Proposed Tax Hikes
Kenyan President William Ruto on Tuesday condemned the protests against a controversial finance bill, labelling the events – which saw the storming of parliament and the shooting deaths of at least five people – as “treasonous”.
According to CNN, citizens across the East African country are protesting against proposed tax hikes, culminating in Tuesday’s “total shutdown” of the country.
The demonstrations, sparked by the Finance Bill 2024, have seen citizens rally under the banner of “7 Days of Rage.
Last week, the government scrapped some tax increases, including a proposed 16% value-added tax on bread along with taxes on motor vehicles, vegetable oil and mobile money transfers.
However, the concessions have not been enough to end the protests amid the rising cost of living.
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A CNN team reported seeing two bodies lying motionless on the ground in Nairobi as the country’s parliament was breached.
Kenyan police were also seen beating and later arresting some paramedics who were helping injured protesters.
During a nationwide address after parliament was set on fire, Ruto said the events on Tuesday were a grave threat to “national security”.
He said the conversation around the bill had been “hijacked by dangerous people,” adding that democratic expression and crime must be isolated from one another. Said Ruto:
It is not in order, or even conceivable, that criminals pretending to be peaceful protesters can reign terror against the people, their elected representatives, and the institutions established under our Constitution and expect to go scot-free.
According to a joint statement by Amnesty International Kenya, the Kenya Medical Association, the Law Society of Kenya, and Police Reforms Working Group Kenya, at least five people were shot dead and around 31 were injured during Tuesday’s protests.
Of these, 13 were hit with live bullets, four with rubber bullets, and three with launcher canisters. The statement said:
The use of live bullets must now stop. Despite the assurance by the government that the right to assembly would be protected and facilitated, today’s protests have spiralled into violence. Human rights observers and medical officers have reported several incidents of human rights violations.
As the protests turned violent, government buildings were set on fire and a ceremonial mace was stolen from Parliament in the melee.
Kenyan lawmakers were evacuated from Parliament as police went up against protesters.
Internet monitoring site NetBlocks reported a “major disruption” to internet connectivity on Tuesday.
Nairobi’s City Hall, the office of the Governor of Nairobi, was also set on fire.
Vehicles parked at Kenya’s Supreme Court, which is close to the City Hall, were also set on fire.
Earlier on Tuesday, Auma Obama, the half-sister of former United States President Barack Obama, was teargassed by police during an interview with CNN live on air while protesting against the bill..
Obama, a Kenyan-British activist, was speaking to CNN alongside a group of young protesters when the group was teargassed in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital.
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