By Antynet Ford
Gen Z protesters geared up to resume demonstrations on Thursday, following President William Ruto’s unexpected decision to retract controversial tax hikes after a series of violent protests earlier in the week.
The protests were ignited by the 2024 finance bill last week, catching Ruto’s government off guard as the initially peaceful demonstrations gained momentum nationwide.
However, the chaotic scenes outside parliament on Tuesday, where the partly burning complex was breached and looted, left the nation in shock as a government-supported human rights organization reported 22 fatalities across the country and pledged to conduct an investigation. In a nationally televised address on Wednesday afternoon, Ruto announced his refusal to endorse the bill, stating that it would subsequently be withdrawn.
“The voice of the people has been heard,”he declared, expressing his intention to engage with the youth of the nation.
This stance marked a significant departure from his confrontational remarks late Tuesday night, where he likened some protesters to “criminals”.
Despite this change in tone, key Gen Z protesters dismissed his statements, with Hanifa Adan dismissing it as a “PR” stunt following the violent incidents at the earlier protests.
Adan had previously indicated that protesters would once again march peacefully, dressed in white to honor those who had lost their lives, with some supporters planning to lay flowers as a tribute to the deceased.
“You cannot extinguish all of us,”she asserted in a public statement. The death toll had reached 22 by Wednesday, with 19 fatalities in the capital alone, according to Roseline Odede, chairwoman of the government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. Odede noted that this was the highest number of deaths recorded in a single day of protest, with 300 individuals sustaining injuries nationwide.
Rights organizations have also accused the authorities of forcibly disappearing protesters. Ruto had previously reversed some tax measures, prompting the treasury to warn of a significant budget deficit of 200 billion shillings ($1.6 billion). He emphasized on Wednesday that withdrawing the bill would result in a substantial gap in funding for various development initiatives aimed at assisting farmers and educators, among others. The financially strained government had justified the tax hikes as necessary to manage Kenya’s substantial debt of around 10 trillion shillings ($78 billion), equivalent to approximately 70 percent of the GDP.
The unrest has raised concerns within the international community, with Washington urging Kenya to uphold the right to peaceful assembly and the UN calling for “accountability”in light of the violence. Ruto’s administration is facing pressure from the IMF, which has emphasized the need for Kenya to implement fiscal reforms in order to access crucial financial support.
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