Kenya: Violent protests leave at least 22 dead and force president of Africa’s most stable country to make reforms

After a day of violent protests that left more than 20 people dead on Tuesday, Kenyan President William Ruto announced he would withdraw a bill that includes a controversial tax hike.

In a speech to the nation, the president on Wednesday said it was clear Kenyans “don’t want to know anything” about the financial project that sparked street rage.

“Having listened carefully to the people of Kenya who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this Finance Bill 2024, I recognise that… the people have spoken,” he said.

He said he would now hold talks with the youth, who have staged the biggest protests in the country ever since he was elected, in 2022.

At least 22 people were killed in Tuesday’s unrest, according to Kenya’s National Human Rights Commission. Protesters set fire to parliament, causing serious damage.

The bill was approved with amendments in the Nairobi city parliament on Tuesday. The vote went ahead despite nationwide protests.

Protesters at a protest in Kenya’s capital They entered the Legislative Assembly headquartersthey vandalized the interior and set fire to parts of the premises. The ceremonial table, a symbol of the legislative branch’s authority, was stolen.

President Ruto’s response was initially defiant. He ordered the deployment of the army, saying he would not tolerate “violence and anarchy”.

Police fired bullets on protesterscausing several deaths and hundreds injured. A BBC journalist at the scene said he saw bodies on the road.

Wanjeri Nderu, director of the International Society for Human Rights, tells the BBC what she experienced during the protests It “s like we were at war,

Separately, the Kenya Bar Association called on international criminal investigators to assist the families in their search for justice, saying it had reports that soldiers had fired on protesters at parliament.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterresdeclared itself “deeply saddened by reports of deaths and injuries – including of journalists and medical personnel – related to the protests and street demonstrations in Kenya.”

He also urged Kenyan authorities to “exercise restraint” and called for all protests to be peaceful.

The bill was initially proposed to be introduced 16% tax on sale of bread and 25% on cooking oil.

An increase in tax on financial transactions was also expected, as well as a new annual tax on vehicle ownership, which would be 2.5% of the vehicle value,

Tax on products that cause wastage and harm the environment was another key provision of the bill which the government has now suggested amending.

Critics said it would increase the prices of essential commodities, such as sanitary towels. She said many teenage girls who are no longer able to afford these products often skip school during their menstruation.

baby diapers They will also be affected.

The government then announced that the tax would apply only to imported products.

This was also the purpose of the new taxes Digital Productssuch as mobile phones, cameras and recording devices. But many Kenyans say they depend on them for their jobs.

Lawmakers had passed a revised version of the finance law, but then violent protests broke out that eventually led to several of its articles being scrapped.

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