Heavy Police Presence As Dozens Protest In Kenya

Dozens of Kenyans took to the streets on Tuesday amidst a significant police presence, with many businesses closed, as youth activists called for new protests following last month’s anti-tax hike demonstrations that resulted in deadly violence.

Despite President William Ruto’s announcement last week that he would not sign a controversial finance bill into law, activists have intensified their campaign against him. Ruto had labeled the previous protests “treasonous.”

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) reported on Monday that 39 people had been killed and 361 injured during two weeks of demonstrations.

The commission condemned the police’s use of force as “excessive and disproportionate.”

On Tuesday morning, the central business district of Nairobi, which had been the focus of previous rallies, remained quiet with police patrolling the area and few people present.

Local politician John Kwenya expressed frustration over the business closures, telling AFP there was “no alarm” despite looting incidents last Thursday.

“They are scared. I told people to open their businesses, but most have fear; they even moved their goods from the shops,” he said.

“This is economic sabotage. The last protest wasn’t Gen-Zs, they were goons,” Kwenya added, referring to Thursday’s rally.

Elsewhere in the country, larger crowds marched in the coastal opposition stronghold of Mombasa, while smaller rallies and a heavy police presence were observed in Kisumu, Nakuru, and Nyeri.

The largely peaceful protests against a series of tax increases, mostly led by Gen-Z Kenyans on social media, turned deadly last Tuesday after lawmakers passed the deeply unpopular legislation.

Following the vote, crowds ransacked the parliament complex in central Nairobi, partially setting it ablaze as police fired live bullets at protesters.