At least one person was killed in the latest wave of anti-government protests across Kenya on Tuesday. The demonstrations, led by youth activists, demand that President William Ruto step down. Clashes between police and protesters have turned violent, with police firing at crowds and demonstrators responding by throwing rocks.
The protests began a month ago in opposition to proposed tax hikes. Despite President Ruto withdrawing the legislation and dismissing almost his entire cabinet, the unrest has persisted. Protesters are calling for Ruto’s resignation and systemic changes to tackle corruption and improve governance. To date, the protests have claimed at least 50 lives, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). The violence is escalating, with no signs of abating.
In Kitengela, a town on the outskirts of Nairobi, police repeatedly fired at hundreds of protesters. Some demonstrators threw rocks, burned tires, waved Kenyan flags, and chanted, “Ruto must go!” Reuters TV footage showed. One protester lay on the ground, blood oozing from a head wound. The national police spokesperson declined to comment.
The interior ministry did not directly address Tuesday’s events, but stated that security agencies had been instructed to exercise restraint. Nonetheless, the demonstrations on Tuesday were some of the largest since Ruto withdrew the tax hikes on June 26. The Nation newspaper reported protests in at least 23 of Kenya’s 47 counties.
In Nairobi’s city center, riot police fired tear gas at several dozen protesters. Medics were seen carrying away an injured person on a stretcher. In Nakuru, a journalist was injured, with television footage showing her bleeding from her thigh. Activist Njeri Wa Migwi, who was protesting in downtown Nairobi, described the demonstration as peaceful until the police started firing tear gas. “Today feels very insidious. It was like the police were out to get us,” she said.
The protests have created the biggest crisis of Ruto’s two years in power. With Kenya spending over 30% of its revenues on debt interest payments, Ruto is caught between the demands of lenders to cut deficits and a population struggling with rising living costs. “Ruto is very incompetent,” said one protester in Nairobi. “The guy is a puppet to the IMF.”
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been a major target of young Kenyan protesters, who accuse it of driving the proposed tax hikes. The IMF has said its goal is to help Kenya overcome economic challenges and improve its people’s well-being. Ruto’s office announced “multi-sectoral” talks for this week to address grievances raised by the protesters, but there is no sign these talks have begun. Most of the leading activists behind the protests have rejected the invitation, calling instead for immediate action on issues like corruption. Ruto’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
The protests began peacefully but later turned violent. Some demonstrators briefly stormed parliament on June 25, prompting police to open fire. In addition to the 50 deaths, 413 people have been injured, 682 have been arbitrarily detained, and 59 have been abducted or are missing in connection with the protests, according to KNCHR.
Ruto has promised to investigate accusations of abuse but has broadly defended police conduct. Last week, he accepted the resignation of the national police chief, whose ouster had also been demanded by protesters. On Monday, Ruto accused the Ford Foundation, an American philanthropic organization, of sponsoring those who had caused “violence and mayhem” in Kenya, without providing evidence. The Ford Foundation rejected the allegation, saying it did not fund or sponsor the protests and maintains a strictly non-partisan policy for its grant-making.
The unrest in Kenya shows no signs of easing. The government faces mounting pressure from both domestic and international fronts to address the root causes of the protests. As the nation struggles with these challenges, the future remains uncertain.
