Kenya, more than one hundred arrests during demonstrations against tax increases

The situation is tense in Kenya, where for days the population has been protesting against the tax increase wanted by William Ruto's government.

• The Kenyan government has proposed a law that increases taxes on essential goods.
• Large protests have been underway in various cities across the country for days.
• NGOs denounce the harsh repression by the police.

The situation remains tense Kenya, where from Tuesday 18 June thousands of people they took to the streets For protest against a bill that raise taxes on some essential goods, seriously compromising the purchasing power of the population.Although the government has withdrawn the most controversial measures, protesters are calling for the law to be scrapped altogether.And in the streets of Nairobi there police, in riot gear, use water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd.NGOs speak of at least a hundred arrests.

Is it a new era of protests in Kenya?

Young Kenyans are leveraging social media to organize and lead protests against a proposed finance bill introducing new taxes on essential items, sparking widespread outrage among the youth.#BBCAfrica #Kenyaprotests #Financebill #GenZ pic.twitter.com/VoKjFkjzjH

— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) June 21, 2024

The difficult economic conditions of Kenya by William Ruto

William Ruto he has been president of Kenya since 2022, when he won the elections on a razor's edge by promising, among other things, to lower food and fertilizer prices, expand access to credit for small businesses and, more generally, to protect the standard of living of the poorest sections of the population.

Since then, however, he has had to introduce several unpopular taxes, justifying them with the need to smooth out the gigantic public debt of the African country;currently, between domestic and foreign, exceeds 76 billion euros.A figure that compromises the growth opportunities for the country, even more so because the repayment of some installments to China, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund will begin in July 2022.Unlike other African states which have recently had rather cold relations with United States, Ruto at the end of May flew to Washington also to encourage foreign investments.

What does the tax reform contested by the population provide?

The object of the dispute now is the tax reform aimed, in fact, at bringing some liquidity back into the state coffers.But at a huge price sacrifices paid mostly by young people with few resources, the same ones that are struggling with the high unemployment rate (in Kenya and beyond, as demonstrated by the strikes in recent weeks in Nigeria).The law increases customs duties on goods, taxes on telephone and internet browsing services, commissions on money transfers, taxes applied to operators of digital services such as food delivery.

Since the protests broke out, the government has partially backtracked:there will no longer be a 16 percent tax on bread, nor that of 2.5 percent per year on the possession of vehicles. Reduced the tax on diapers and sanitary pads:it will only apply to imported products and not to those manufactured locally.However, tax increases have been confirmed vegetable oils and fuels, as well as the 2.75 percent income levy for the national health insurance plan.

At least 105 people arrested and 200 injured during protests in Kenya

The demonstrations were born spontaneously especially by the young, without party direction, to ask the government to cancel the law.And, for this reason, they arose peacefully.So much for Nairobi as in other cities in the country, such as Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu and Nyeri, thousands of boys and girls took to the streets, sometimes accompanied by their parents, while the hashtags #OccupyParliament and #RejectFinanceBill2024 spread on social media.Even young doctors and lawyers they made themselves available to assist the protesters.

Reject!!!Tumekataaaaa!!!#RejectFinanceBill2024 #onthemove pic.twitter.com/y92vW5d1Q7

— Azziad Nasenya (@AzziadNasenya) June 20, 2024

However, on the evening of Thursday 20 June, a coalition of NGOs - including Amnesty international - published a communicated in which, confirming the peaceful nature of the protests, he denounces the use of water cannons and tear gas by the police.And he reports that at least 105 people were arrested.In Nairobi the injured people there would be around 200:50 would have needed specialist medical assistance, five would have been injured by truncheons, tear gas or rubber bullets, six would have been hit by cars while running away from police officers.Some local newspapers they speak of a person dead from a gunshot, but the news is yet to be confirmed.Also Thursday, the tax reform passed in Parliament at second reading:the third and final is scheduled for next week.