On Tuesday, riot police fired tear gas grenades and charged at stone-throwing protesters in downtown Nairobi and across Kenya, resulting in the most extensive unrest since at least two dozen protesters were killed in clashes a week ago.
The nationwide unrest indicated that President William Ruto had failed to quell the spontaneous “Ruto Must Go” youth protest movement, despite canceling the tax hike plans that triggered last week’s initial protests.
As Tuesday’s demonstrations progressed, they turned increasingly violent. In Nairobi’s downtown business district, police wearing helmets and carrying shields and wooden clubs charged at protesters, with tear gas bombs exploding in the crowds.
In the midst of the chaos, a kiosk was set ablaze in the middle of the street. Medics attended to a youth lying on the pavement with a bloody hand, while police loaded other young protesters into the back of a pickup truck.
In Mombasa, Kenya’s second-largest city on the Indian Ocean coast, hundreds of protesters marched, carrying palm fronds, blowing plastic horns, and beating drums while chanting “Ruto must go!” Later, Kenya’s NTV television reported two people shot in Mombasa, with images showing cars ablaze.
Facing the most severe crisis of his nearly two-year-old presidency, Ruto is caught between the demands of lenders like the International Monetary Fund to reduce deficits and a population struggling with skyrocketing living costs.
With no formal leaders, the protest movement, primarily organised through social media, has rejected Ruto’s calls for dialogue even after he withdrew his proposed tax increases.
“People are dying in the streets, and all he discusses is money. We are not commodities; we are people, human beings,” protester Milan Waudo told Reuters in Mombasa.
“He needs to prioritise the welfare of his people; if he cannot, then we do not want him in that position.”
According to Kenyan television broadcasts, additional protests occurred in Kisumu, Nakuru, Kajiado, Migori, Mlolongo, and Rongo. In Migori, located in the southwest, protesters set tires on fire.
Since June 18, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has documented 39 fatalities among Kenyans in demonstrations and clashes with police.
The most fatal incident occurred on June 25 when police fired shots near parliament in response to protesters trying to storm the building to prevent lawmakers from voting on proposed tax increases.
“We are resolved to advocate for the president’s resignation,” stated Ojango Omondi, an activist in Nairobi. “We anticipate a peaceful protest with minimal, if any, casualties.”
Authorities called for calm.
“It’s a beautiful day to embrace patriotism. A beautiful day to uphold peace, order, and the sanctity of our nation,” communicated State House director of communications Gerald Bitok on Tuesday, also noting in Swahili: “Violence is not a symbol of patriotism.”
Activists who initiated the demonstrations expressed dismay over the unrest. Hanifa Adan, an activist and reporter for the Eastleigh Voice newspaper, lamented on X with broken heart emojis, stating, “There are infiltrators causing trouble.”
Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who has been the runner-up in the last four presidential elections, supported the protesters’ cause, despite their calls for politicians to refrain from involvement.
“The youth have provided our country with its final opportunity,” Odinga’s ODM party stated. “We must either seize it and move forward by fulfilling all their demands, or disregard it and risk sinking the country entirely.”
Beginning as an online expression of outrage over nearly $2.7 billion in proposed tax hikes under a finance bill, the protests have evolved into a nationwide movement against corruption and mismanagement.
Ruto has directed the treasury to devise plans for reducing expenditure to cover the budget deficit left by the abandonment of the tax proposals. He also acknowledged the need for additional borrowing.
According to veteran anti-corruption activist John Githongo, despite Ruto addressing the nation and media, “there is no indication that he intends to act” on the protesters’ demands, which include the dismissal of corrupt officials.
“The government has shown no indication that they plan to address the calls to tackle corruption seriously,” he stated.
Initially peaceful, the protests turned turbulent on June 25 when some demonstrators briefly stormed parliament and set parts of it on fire, leading to police gunfire.
Ruto supported the police actions, blaming the violence on “criminals” who had infiltrated the protests.