NAIROBI: Dozens of Kenyans took to the streets Tuesday under a heavy police presence, with many shops shuttered as youth activists called for fresh protests after anti-tax hike demonstrations last month descended into deadly violence.
Activists have stepped up their campaign against President William Ruto despite his announcement last week that he would not sign into law a controversial finance bill that triggered what he has branded “treasonous” protests.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said on Monday that 39 people had been killed and 361 injured during two weeks of demonstrations and condemned the use of force against protesters as “excessive and disproportionate”.
On Tuesday morning, the capital Nairobi’s central business district – the focus of previous rallies – was quiet, with police patrolling and few people on the streets.
Local politician John Kwenya expressed frustration over businesses shuttering, telling AFP there was “no alarm”, despite instances of looting last Thursday.
“They are scared. I told people to open their businesses, but most have fear, they even moved their goods from the shops.”
“This is economic sabotage. The last protest wasn’t Gen-Zs, they were goons,” Kwenya said, referring to Thursday’s rally.
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But elsewhere in the country, Kenyan TV showed larger crowds marching in the coastal opposition stronghold Mombasa, with smaller rallies and a heavy police presence in Kisumu, Nakuru and Nyeri.
’#RutoMustGo’
Largely peaceful rallies against a raft of tax increases – mostly led by Gen-Z Kenyans on social media – descended into deadly chaos on Tuesday last week when lawmakers passed the deeply unpopular legislation.
After the announcement of the vote, crowds ransacked the parliament complex in central Nairobi and it was partly set ablaze as police fired live bullets at protesters.
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