Kenya Protests | What We Know After One Month

(Nairobi) Kenya has been on edge since crowds of protesters, led by youth activists, began taking to the streets four weeks ago to protest unpopular tax hike plans.

President William Ruto remains in a corner, despite taking a series of measures to respond to the demands of the protesters and the strength demonstrated by this “people power”, as one Kenyan newspaper put it.

While protests have calmed since dozens were killed and parliament was stormed in late June, activists are still demanding the president resign, with further demonstrations planned for Tuesday under the hashtag #Rutomustgo (“Ruto must go”).

At the origin of the movement

The government was caught off guard after small rallies launched on June 18 against the 2024-2025 finance law grew in size, with thousands of protesters in several cities.

The 4 trillion shilling ($31 billion) budget was the largest in Kenya’s history and included tax increases on basic goods such as bread and fuel, measures protesters said would hit the poorest the hardest.

Mr Ruto and his government have defended the budget, which would have raised $2.7 billion in additional taxes. The government, under pressure from the IMF to make tax reforms, said the tax increases were necessary to reduce public debt.

The rallies, initially peaceful, were organised largely online by young Kenyans under 30, without any official framework.

Tensions have escalated, with the capital Nairobi seeing the worst violence on June 25, when crowds stormed parliament and police fired live ammunition at protesters. Dozens of people were killed in the capital that day, according to NGOs.

Ruto’s response

In the immediate aftermath of the Nairobi clashes, Mr Ruto initially took a hard line against “betrayal”, saying the protests had been hijacked by criminals, while some protesters accused government “henchmen” of provoking the violence. But the next day, a more conciliatory Mr Ruto announced the project was being scrapped.

Since then, pay rises have been frozen for all civil servants, including ministers and MPs, amid public outrage over what they see as lavish spending. The civil service wage bill currently absorbs the equivalent of 45% of total government revenue, according to official figures.

Mr Ruto also announced further spending cuts to tackle waste and make up for lost revenue from tax hikes, and warned that the country would have to borrow more. One of the measures was to scrap allowances for the first lady and the wife of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

On July 11, Mr. Ruto announced the immediate dismissal of almost his entire cabinet, with the exception of the foreign minister and the deputy president. He added that he planned to form a “broad-based” government, which sparked media speculation about a national unity government with opposition leader Raila Odinga, who Mr. Ruto narrowly defeated in the 2022 elections.

On July 12, the head of the national police, Japhet Koome, denounced by public opinion after the police repression of the demonstrations, resigned.

What about justice?

The Kenya National Human Rights Commission said on 1^er July that 39 people had been killed and several hundred injured since the start of the protests, accusing the police of using “excessive and disproportionate” force.

The state-funded body also reported 32 cases of “forced or involuntary disappearances” and 627 arrests of protesters, and set up a hotline for people whose relatives have disappeared since the protests began.

The Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) said on Friday it was investigating a number of complaints about unlawful arrests, abductions and disappearances.