new demonstrations against the government are firmly repressed

The UN says it is “deeply concerned” by the situation in Kenya. At least five deaths were reported Tuesday in new demonstrations against taxes planned by the government. Tens of thousands of young people took to the streets. The army is called in as reinforcements.

It was the third demonstration in eight days. But in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, everything changes when the deputies meet to vote on amendments to the much contested text. Tuesday June 25, several hundred people forced the roadblocks and invaded Parliament. Windows broken, rooms ransacked, furniture thrown outside and burned. The police fire live ammunition at the demonstrators.

The half-sister of former US President Barack Obama was herself in the demonstration, asphyxiated live on CNN by tear gas. Across the country, young people are rallying against the government.

The army is called in as reinforcements. While on Sunday, in Nyahururu, President William Ruto said he was open to dialogue: “I am very proud of our young people. (…) They asserted themselves in a peaceful way and I want to tell them that we will discuss with them”. Since then, the tone has changed.

This text which crystallizes the protest is the 2024-2025 draft budget, in which new taxes are planned to curb the country’s colossal debt and give itself room for maneuver. Among other things, a 16% VAT on bread or a tax of 2.5% per year for car owners.

The protest began on social networks on the day the text was presented, June 13, and then very quickly took to the streets. The government is backing down, it is withdrawing a large number of measures. This does not satisfy the demonstrators who suspect the State of wanting to compensate for this withdrawal with a 50% increase in fuel taxes. The anger does not subside, on the contrary, it even transforms into a global rejection of the policies of President William Ruto.

Yet Kenya is often said to be the powerhouse of East Africa: for several decades, its economic growth has been dynamic and solid, supported by agriculture, tourism and the tech sector.

But the national currency, the Kenyan shilling, has depreciated sharply in recent months, losing value against other world currencies. A third of the 51 million inhabitants still live below the poverty line, inequalities are significant, the youth unemployment rate is very high and inflation is around 7-8%.

The leader of the opposition, Raila Odinga, defeated in the presidential election in 2023, fanned the embers of youth frustration and repeatedly called on Kenyans to take to the streets. This situation has an air of déjà vu: already last July, Kenya was the scene of similar demonstrations against the cost of living and tax increases on income and housing. The unrest had already left around ten dead.