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NAIROBI — Violent clashes outside Kenya’s parliament and across the country have left at least 23 people dead and dozens more injured after protesters pledged to continue demonstrations against recent tax increases.
Heavily armed police patrolled the streets of Nairobi on Wednesday as supporters of the week-long protest movement took to social media using the hashtag #tutanethursday, a portmanteau of Swahili and English meaning “see you on Thursday.”
A wave of online anger over tax hikes has morphed into a nationwide protest movement demanding political reform, posing the toughest challenge yet to President William Ruto’s two-year presidency.
Police fired shots into a crowd around parliament on Tuesday as protesters stormed the compound shortly after lawmakers approved controversial tax measures.
Protests have broken out in at least 35 of Kenya’s 47 counties, from major cities to rural areas, including Ruto’s hometown of Eldoret in the Kalenjin heartland, The Nation reported.
The Kenya Medical Association reported at least 23 deaths and 30 more were treated for gunshot wounds across the country. In Nairobi, the main public mortuary received the bodies of six people killed in Tuesday’s protests. In addition, health officials confirmed that Kenyatta National Hospital had admitted two dead and 160 injured.
Social media has been a focal point for people to express their discontent, especially in response to Ruto’s speech after the clashes, in which he labelled the attack on Parliament the work of “criminals masquerading as peaceful protesters”.
“Good morning Tupatane criminals, do what criminals do on Thursday,” one social media user posted, calling for continued protests. Others called on people to occupy the presidential office and residence, State House, on Thursday and attack the local offices of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday.
Ruto claimed in a televised address late Tuesday that the debate over the tax measure had been “hijacked by dangerous elements.” The government has ordered the army to assist the police in dealing with “security emergencies,” although there were no reports of military presence on the streets of Nairobi on Wednesday.
Protester Wellington Ogola said he was determined to continue demonstrating. “We have the right to demonstrate … we are just expressing our ideas,” he told Reuters as the smell of tear gas filled central Nairobi.
While lawmakers removed some tax increases from the final finance bill, including on bread and cooking oil, they included others to avoid a budget deficit. Protesters, who organized mainly on social media to demand the entire bill be scrapped, are now calling for Ruto to resign.
Ruto won election two years ago on a platform of supporting Kenya’s poor workers but has found himself balancing demands from lenders such as the International Monetary Fund, which has urged Kenya to cut its deficit to secure more financing, with the needs of his struggling population.
The unrest has also affected aid groups. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that rocks were thrown at one of its ambulances during clashes on Tuesday, leaving its staff injured and mentally ill. The Kenya Red Cross also reported that its staff and vehicles had been attacked, but did not provide further details.
Source: Reuters
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