In Kenya on Tuesday, anti-tax protesters tried to storm the country’s parliament building and police responded with live ammunition, leaving at least five people dead and 30 injured.
Kenyans are Protest Demonstrations have been ongoing for weeks against a finance bill packed with tax hikes, including on everything from bread to car insurance. Some of the bill’s more onerous clauses have been removed amid protests, but President William Ruto has insisted significant tax increases are still needed to balance the budget, and demonstrators have vowed to continue demonstrating until the entire bill is withdrawn.
Chaos erupted in Nairobi on Tuesday. Voted Thousands of protesters stormed the parliament building to pass the finance bill, and participants cleared the way to allow lawmakers who voted against the bill to leave peacefully.
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Protesters broke through police lines and entered Parliament House. Fires broke out at Parliament House and the nearby Nairobi City Hall. A thick cloud of tear gas enveloped the building, followed by gunfire.
At least five people were reported dead, but some reports said as many as 10 may have died from gunshot wounds. Reporters at the scene said most of the injured appeared to be young men.
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Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi report Forty-five protesters were injured, including seven women. One of the activists attacked with tear gas on Tuesday was Auma Obama, 64, the sister of former US President Barack Obama.
“I’m here because I want you to see what’s happening. Young people in Kenya are protesting for their rights. They’re protesting with flags and banners,” Obama said. SaidThis happened when tear gas enveloped her in front of the cameras during a CNN interview.
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Kenya Red Cross Said The company said on Tuesday that its vehicle was attacked while it was attempting “lifesaving measures” to treat the injured, injuring several staff members and the driver.
The Kenya Red Cross has not revealed the identity of the attackers, but other reports from the scene said some protesters attacked the ambulance, believing it was carrying lawmakers who voted in favor of the tax bill. Many of the pro-tax lawmakers reportedly took refuge in the basement of Parliament for safety, then escaped through tunnels.
President Ruto Said In a televised address on Tuesday, Trump said he was sending in the military to “provide a full, effective and swift response to today’s treasonous acts.”
President Ruto vowed that his administration would “treat any threat to national security and national unity as an existential danger to the republic”.
Kenyan President William Ruto speaks in Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 2, 2022. (Photo by The Associated Press/Brian Inganga)
root Said He said the protests had been infiltrated by “criminals” and “hijacked by dangerous people.”
“It is unthinkable, let alone disruptive, for criminals posing as peaceful protesters to inflict terror on the public, our elected representatives and our constitutional institutions and expect to get away with it. I hereby serve as a warning to the planners, financiers, architects and abettors of violence and anarchy,” he said. Said.
Following Tuesday’s horrific incident, opposition politicians have called on Premier Ruto to “do the honourable thing” and “resign” or at least withdraw the controversial Finance Bill.
“I am disturbed by the police killing, arresting, detaining and surveilling young boys and girls who are simply trying to have their opinions heard on tax policies that are robbing them of their present and their future,” said opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta wrote an open letter to Kenyans and the government, calling on the leadership to “embrace dialogue and speak to the people, not talk to them.”
“Leaders must recognise that the power and authority they hold comes from the people,” Kenyatta declared.
Private television station KTN TV said the government had threatened to shut it down if it did not stop covering the protests, but the station rejected the demands. KTN reported that clergy inside All Saints Cathedral, which was offered as a temporary medical facility for injured protesters, witnessed police spraying tear gas inside the chapel.
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Internet Monitor report There are “significant disruptions to internet connectivity in Kenya,” likely as the government tries to stop protesters from coordinating their activities through TikTok, which is hugely popular in Kenya.
Human rights organizations Condemned Diplomatic missions from 13 countries, including the United States, Britain and Canada, condemned the Kenyan police for brutally treating protesters. statement The group said it was “deeply concerned” by the violence.
“We are particularly shocked by the scenes witnessed outside Kenya’s State House and deplore the tragic casualties, including the use of live ammunition,” the statement said.
“We welcome civic participation by all Kenyans, particularly the youth, in addressing an issue of great national concern. We call for restraint on all sides and encourage all leaders to find a peaceful solution through constructive dialogue,” the statement concluded.
President Biden’s White House Wrestled Another foreign policy blunder: President Joe Biden formally designated Kenya as a major non-NATO ally of the United States just hours before Kenyan police opened fire on protesters.
Biden promised Relations with Mr Ruto improved when the Kenyan president visited Washington last month, a glitzy event hailed as the first official visit to the White House by an African leader in 16 years. Among the honours Mr Ruto received was a state dinner at the White House, with Barack Obama on the guest list. Mr Obama’s sister was tear-gassed by Mr Ruto’s police on Tuesday.
Biden’s strong support for Ruto was due in no small part to the Kenyan president’s unyielding determination to deploy hundreds of Kenyan police to intervene in Haiti, despite public opposition at home, logistical challenges in Haiti, and a ruling by the Kenyan Supreme Court that Ruto had no constitutional authority to deploy police on foreign territory.
After nearly a year of delay, Kenyan police have finally Arrived The operation, which began in Haiti on Tuesday, is the spearhead of a multinational intervention force that will eventually consist of 1,000 Kenyan police and at least 1,500 officers from other countries.
