Police in Kenya are still battling youths protesting economic hardship and a finance bill that if passed, will raise taxes. The protesters fear the bill will escalate commodity prices even further.
In Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, on Thursday, police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters trying to breach the periphery of the parliament building where a debate on the issue is being held.
Roads near parliament were blocked with heavy police presence.
Lawmakers are debating the bill in its second reading, with the final version needing to pass by June 30.
Kenyan young people are spearheading the protests this time. They argue that the planned tax hikes will exacerbate the cost-of-living crisis, including already rising food prices. Kenyans rely heavily on diesel and kerosene, and the government plans to increase their prices which will strain more households in the process.
Government In Search Of Money
The government finance bill aims to generate 346.7 billion shillings ($2.7 billion), or 1.9% of GDP, to reduce the budget deficit from 5.7% to 3.3% of GDP.
The cash-strapped government of President Williams Ruto is running cap-in-hand to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for more loans. The IMF wants Kenya to increase tax collections and implement additional fiscal reforms in order to access more funding. The Kenyan economy is considered to be at high risk of distress.
Treasury Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u promised the government would also cut its spending, but young people are not buying that.
Just yesterday, Wednesday, Mr. Ruto announced a raft of concessions, including dropping proposed levies on bread, car ownership, and financial services. However, critics argue these measures are simply not enough. They want the bill outrightly striped.
One Kenyan activist, Stella Agara, said Kenyans are “fed up with the increased taxation”, and accused the government of being “completely insensitive” to the needs of the poor.
TikTok Generation Demand “Ruto Must Go”
The protests, which were primarily organized by young people on social media, took the government unawares. The organizing of the protest different from those called by opposition parties in the past.
Demonstrations erupted in other cities, including Mombasa and Kisumu. The beginning of the protests were largely peaceful although hundreds have been arrested.
On Thursday, the youthful protesters escalated their demands and now chanting “Ruto must go!”, reflecting widespread frustration with the government of Williams Ruto.
The government has long being planning on how to control the social media fearing it could be used to foment unrest.
Kenya has one of the highest rates of TikTok usage in the world.
The interior minister once alleged that TikTok was disseminating dangerous content, and vowed to impose restrictions on the app. But so far, that hasn’t happened.
However, the demonstration goes on. One of the protesters saying they will never back down until the bill is dropped, saying,
“This is just the start of the revolution; we are not afraid or swayed. We are coming, we are many, and in good numbers.”
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