June 2022 will be remembered by Kenyans for the tumultuous events that shook the country. The streets of Nairobi were filled with the lingering smell of tear gas and military deployment, following protesters storming Parliament. The cause of the protests was a proposed tax bill that threatens to increase the cost of living, a situation President William Ruto has called an “existential” threat.
At least 22 people have lost their lives, according to a human rights group. Protests in Nairobi are not uncommon, but this time the gravity of the stakes is more palpable after this unprecedented attack on the Kenyan government. President Ruto has denounced the events as “treasonous” and vowed to suppress any unrest “at any cost.” Soldiers patrolled alongside police, who are accused of shooting several protesters dead the previous day.
More protests are expected as Kenyans, across tribal and other lines, unite in a youth-led movement to block the passage of the tax bill. It would raise taxes on a range of everyday goods and services, from egg imports to bank transfers, worsening the situation for a majority of people struggling to make ends meet. The government aims to raise revenue to repay debts in East Africa’s economic hub.
There were no reports of violence the following Wednesday, but fear was rife. Civil society groups have reported abductions of people involved in the recent protests and expect more incidents to occur.
“We are facing a new phenomenon and an unpredictable group of people. If these were ordinary protests, I would say they would die down over time, but we don’t know if these people will fear the military,” said Herman Manyora, an analyst and professor at the University of Nairobi.
Manyora said the Kenyan president missed an opportunity in his national address Tuesday night to calm tensions and take a more conciliatory approach.
“We expected him to understand the gravity of the issue and sympathize with the youth,” Manyora said. “Instead, people saw an angry president warning the country.”
Many of the young people who helped bring Ruto to power by applauding his promises of economic relief are now resisting the pain of reform. Thousands of them stormed parliament on Tuesday, sparking clashes that spread to several communities beyond the capital..
At least 22 people lost their lives, according to the Kenyan Human Rights Commission. Commission chairperson Roseline Odede told reporters that 300 people had been injured and 50 others arrested.
The mother of a slain teenager, Edith Wanjiku, told reporters from the morgue that the police officers who shot her son should be arrested and charged with murder because her 19-year-old son was unarmed.
“He had just finished school and was protesting peacefully,” she testified.
Parliament, City Hall and the Supreme Court were cordoned off Wednesday with ribbons reading “Crime Scene – Do Not Enter.” Authorities said police fired more than 700 rounds to disperse protesters in the Nairobi suburb of Githurai overnight. Videos of the shootings circulated online.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga condemned the killing of protesters and the authorities’ “brutal force”, calling for dialogue and saying Kenya’s Constitution had been suspended.
“Kenya cannot afford to kill its children simply because they demand food, jobs and a voice,” Odinga said in a statement.
In Nairobi, a regional hub for expatriates and home to a United Nations complex, inequalities among Kenyans have deepened, as have long-standing frustrations over state corruption. A prosperous young population also shows frustration with the lavish lifestyles of politicians, including the president. Some who fervently supported Ruto, who won the presidency by presenting himself as a “hustler” from a modest background, feel betrayed.
Young people, commonly known as Gen Zs, have mobilized the protests and are seeking to block lawmakers from approving the tax law on Tuesday. Ruto now has two weeks to enact the law.
This series of events marks a turning point for Ruto, welcomed by the United States as a welcome partner in Africa, while frustrations grow elsewhere on the continent with the United States and several other Western powers.
In May, Ruto traveled to Washington for the first state visit by an African leader in 16 years. On Tuesday, as protests erupted, the United States designated Kenya as its first major ally outside NATO in sub-Saharan Africa, an act largely symbolic but underscoring its strong security partnership. Also on Tuesday, hundreds of Kenyan police officers were deployed to lead a multinational force against gangs in Haiti, a move that was praised by US President Joe Biden.
Now the Kenyan president and his government, like the protesters, face calls for calm and pressure from partners, including the United States, which has joined a dozen other nations in a statement on Tuesday.