TENSION over the rising cost of living in Kenya escalated on Wednesday as protesters took to the streets in a series of demonstrations. In the capital city of Nairobi, some demonstrators set tires ablaze and partially dismantled an entrance to a recently constructed expressway.
Tragically, one protester was killed in the town of Emali, located on the highway between Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa. Additionally, a police car was set on fire during the unrest, according to local police official Joseph Ole Naipeyan.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who lost the previous year’s election to President William Ruto, has been urging Kenyans to participate in protests as the country grapples with mounting debt and increasing prices. Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Odinga vowed that the demonstrations would continue and accused the police of obstructing access to the site where he had planned to deliver a speech. He further alleged that excessive force had been used against the protesters. Odinga stated, ‘All our engagements are peaceful until the police show up.’
The introduction of new taxes has contributed to the frustration in Kenya, an economic hub in East Africa, where inflation stands at around 8 percent. Taxes on petroleum products, including gasoline, have doubled from 8 percent to 16 percent, which is expected to have a ripple effect on the cost of living.
Odinga called on President Ruto to repeal the act imposing the new tax measures, emphasising the plight of the people who are experiencing hunger and deprivation. He said, ‘People are tired of going to bed hungry, facing the new day hungry, and returning to bed hungry.’
During such protests, most Kenyans either continue with their daily activities or remain at home.
The police have faced criticism from human rights watchdogs for their response to these demonstrations and their insistence that any protest must be notified in advance ‘in the interest of national security.’ Kenya’s constitution grants the right to peacefully demonstrate.
The national police inspector general, Japhet Koome, declared in a letter on Tuesday that ‘all lawful means will be used to disperse such demonstrations,’ labelling Wednesday’s protests as ‘illegal.’
