Kenya Police Clash With Protesters After President Withdraws Tax Increase Bill

• Protests have continued across Kenya despite President William Ruto withdrawing a controversial tax increase bill.
• On Thursday, Kenyan police fired tear gas at protesters in Nairobi and blocked roads leading to the presidential palace.
• Crowds in Mombasa, Kisumu and other cities have demanded the resignation of President Ruto.

Kenyan police fired tear gas at dozens of protesters in Nairobi and blocked roads to the presidential palace on Thursday as crowds took to the streets again across the country, even after the president bowed to pressure to withdraw a construction project. tax increase law.

Crowds called on President William Ruto to go further and resign in the capital Mombasa, Kisumu and other centres, although turnout fell far short of the mass demonstrations sparked by tax measures over the past week.

Ruto withdrew legislation that included new taxes and increases on Wednesday, a day after at least 23 people were killed in clashes in protests sparked by his plans, and parliament was briefly stormed and burned down.

KENYA'S PRESIDENT BACKS DOWN CONTROVERSIAL TAX RAISES AFTER DEADLY PROTESTS SHAKE THE NATION

He is grappling with the most serious crisis of his two-year presidency, as the youth-led protest movement has grown rapidly from online condemnations of tax increases to mass demonstrations demanding political reform.

The withdrawal of the bill has also affected plans to reduce the budget deficit and debt, as demanded by lenders, including the International Monetary Fund.

Seven people were rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds in the western Kenyan town of Homa Bay on Thursday, Citizen TV reported, without going into further details. Police commander Hassan Barua said he had sent officers to check the report.

In Nairobi, police and soldiers patrolled the streets and blocked access to State House. Police fired tear gas to disperse several dozen people who had gathered in the city center.

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Volunteer medical group Medics for Kenya said its staff at the Jamia Mosque/Crescent hospital had been hit by tear gas and that it condemned in “the strongest possible terms the violence against our volunteer medical teams”.

Reuters journalists saw army vehicles on the streets after the government deployed the military to assist police.

Elsewhere, hundreds of protesters gathered in the port city of Mombasa and the western city of Kisumu, local television footage showed, although those gatherings appeared peaceful.

“We only come here so that our voice can be heard, we as Generation Z, we as Kenyans, we are one,” said Berryl Nelima in Mombasa. “So the police should stop killing us, we are just peaceful protesters, we are unarmed.”

The protest movement has no formal leadership structure and has largely responded to messages, banners and slogans on social media. Posts on Thursday suggested that supporters of the protests were divided over how far to take the demonstrations.

“Let us not be fools as we fight for a better Kenya,” Boniface Mwangi, a prominent social justice activist, said in an Instagram post.

He expressed support for Thursday's demonstrations but opposed calls to invade the House of Representatives, the president's formal offices and residence, a move he said could lead to more violence and be used to justify a crackdown.

KENYA PROTESTERS VOW TO CONTINUE DEMONSTRATIONS AFTER VIOLENT Clashes LEAVE 23 DEAD

While some protest supporters said they would not demonstrate on Thursday because the finance bill had been scrapped, others vowed to press ahead, saying only Ruto's resignation would satisfy them.

“Right now it's not just about the finance bill but about #RutoMustGo,” political activist and protester Davis Tafari told Reuters in a text message. “We have to ensure that Ruto and his MPs have resigned and that new elections are held… We occupy the House of Representatives for dignity and justice.”

Eli Owuor, 34, from Kibera, an informal settlement and traditional focus of protests, also said he was prepared to join a bid to reach the House of Representatives.

“Maybe we need to visit Zakayo today at his house to show that after parliament we can occupy State House,” he said, using a nickname protesters have given Ruto that refers to a biblical tax collector considered corrupt. .

DIALOGUE AND AUSTERITY ARE THE NEXT STEPS

In a speech on Wednesday, Ruto defended his attempt to raise taxes on items such as bread, cooking oil and diapers, saying it was justified by the need to reduce Kenya's high debt load, which has made borrowing difficult and squeezed the currency.

But he acknowledged that the public had overwhelmingly rejected the finance bill. He said he would now initiate a dialogue with Kenyan youth and work on austerity measures, starting with cuts to the presidency's budget.

The International Monetary Fund, which has been urging the government to reduce its deficit to get more financing, said it was closely monitoring the situation in Kenya.

“We are deeply concerned by the tragic events that have occurred in Kenya in recent days,” the IMF said in a statement. “Our primary objective in supporting Kenya is to help it overcome the difficult economic challenges it faces and improve its economic prospects and the well-being of its people.”

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Ratings agency Moody's said the shift in focus toward cutting spending rather than raising revenue will complicate the disbursement of future IMF funds and slow the pace of fiscal consolidation.

Analysts at JPMorgan said they had maintained their forecasts for a deficit of 4.5% of GDP in fiscal year 2024/2025, but acknowledged that government and IMF targets could be revised in light of recent events.

They said the Central Bank of Kenya was unlikely to start cutting rates until the final quarter of this year.