NAIROBI: Riot police patrolled the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Tuesday morning as young activists called for more protests following deadly clashes last week.
Members of the protest movement, which has no official leaders and organises mainly through social media, have rejected calls for dialogue from President William Ruto even after he backed down on proposed tax hikes.
Enraged by the deaths last week — at least 39, according to the government-funded Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHCR) — many people are now calling for Ruto to step down.
“We are determined to press for the president’s resignation,” said Ojango Omondi, an activist in Nairobi. “We hope for a peaceful protest with minimal casualties, if any.”
The protests, which began as an online outburst of anger over a nearly $2.7 billion tax hike in a proposed finance bill, have escalated into a nationwide movement against corruption and mismanagement, becoming the most serious crisis of Ruto’s nearly two-year presidency.
He finds himself in a situation where conflicting demands from lenders such as the International Monetary Fund are calling on a heavily indebted government to cut deficits, and a society struggling with rising living costs is facing the challenges of rising living expenses.
Ruto has ordered the finance ministry to find ways to cut spending to plug the budget gap left by the withdrawal of the bill, and has also said more borrowing will be necessary.
The protests, which began in mid-June, were largely peaceful until last Tuesday, when police clashed with demonstrators. Some protesters briefly broke into parliament and set part of it on fire. Police opened fire, killing several, a rights group said.
The KNHCR said on Monday that 39 people have been killed and 361 injured since the first protest on June 18.
Ruto defended the police’s actions, saying they were doing the best they could in difficult circumstances. He blamed the violence on “criminals” who he said had hijacked the demonstrations.
“It’s a beautiful day to choose patriotism. A beautiful day to choose peace, order and the sanctity of our nation,” State House Communications Director Gerald Bitok wrote on Tuesday morning on X, adding in Swahili: “Violence is not patriotism.”
It was unclear to what extent people would respond to the new calls for protests. There were no reports of early morning demonstrations.
Shops opened as usual in central Nairobi, the scene of last week’s most intense protests. Police set up roadblocks leading to the president’s official residence.
“I don’t think it will be a maandamano (protest) because maybe people are scared because some people were shot,” said Kennedy Otwal, who was walking in the city center.
