NAIROBI, Kenya –
Kenyans woke up to the acrid smell of tear gas still lingering in the capital on Wednesday, a day after protesters stormed parliament and burned part of the building over a controversial tax plan.
As the day began, there were no reports of violence, but more protests were expected in coming days. Police and soldiers patrolled the streets as city workers began cleaning up debris. Parliament, the city hall and the supreme court were cordoned off with tape reading “Crime Scene Do Not Enter.”
The military was deployed overnight to support police as President William Ruto called the events treasonous and vowed to quash the unrest “at whatever cost.”
Kenya has been rocked by massive protests for over a week in opposition to a proposed finance bill that would raise taxes as frustrations over the cost of living are simmering. Many young people who helped vote Ruto into power with cheers for his promises of economic relief have taken to the streets to object to the pain of reforms.
Thousands of protesters stormed Kenya’s parliament Tuesday, burning parts of the building while legislators fled. Police responded with gunfire and journalists counted three bodies at the gates of parliament.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission, a non-government organization, said that at least 22 people have died. The commission chairperson, Roseline Odede, told journalists that 300 people were injured in the protests and 50 people were arrested.
A man reads about yesterday’s protest in a newspaper in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (Brian Inganga / AP Photo)
Herman Manyora, a professor at the University of Nairobi, said that the youth-driven protests could escalate further if the president does not adopt a more conciliatory approach.
“We expected him to appreciate the gravity of the issue and empathize with the young people,” Manyora said. “Instead, people saw an angry president who is reading a riot act to the nation.”
Authorities said police fired over 700 blanks to disperse protesters in the suburb of Githurai, east of the capital Nairobi. Videos of gunfire piercing the night air were shared online.
U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said he was deeply saddened by reports of deaths and injuries.
“I urge the Kenyan authorities to exercise restraint, and call for all demonstrations to take place peacefully,” he wrote on the social media platform X.
In Nairobi, a regional hub for expatriates and home to a United Nations complex, inequality among Kenyans has sharpened along with long-held frustrations over state corruption.
Opposition to the finance bill has united a large part of the country, with some explicitly rejecting the tribal divisions that have torn Kenya apart in the past. Some who had passionately supported Ruto felt betrayed.
A Kenyan newspaper, Daily Nation, called for dialogue. “Let’s reason together,” its front page said.
Citizen TV, a local broadcaster, led a discussion titled “A Nation on the Brink” with panelists calling on the government to engage with the public.
