PBI-Kenya has posted: “The peaceful protesters in Nairobi CBD [Central Business District], Mombasa road and all across the country are simply exercising their rights.”
With the headline “Tear gas as police battle protesters heading to Mombasa Road”, the Kenya Star reports: “Police on Tuesday [July 23] engaged protesters in running battles as they tried to march towards Mombasa road, ostensibly to head to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). The group had assembled at the Nairobi Central Business District before they started walking towards Haile Selassie Avenue and later Uhuru High Way to eventually enter the Mombasa Road. But police swiftly responded to the plan and hurled teargas to disperse the crowd.”
ABC News further explains: “Kenya’s anti-government protests entered their fifth week, having started as calls for legislators to vote against a finance bill that proposed new taxes. President William Ruto declined to sign the controversial bill and has dismissed almost all of his Cabinet ministers, but protesters have continued calling for his resignation. At least 50 people have died and 413 others have been injured in the protests since June 18, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.”
Human Rights Watch has also noted: “The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has committed $4.4 billion to Kenya, and the World Bank anticipates $12 billion in support from 2024 to 2026. Yet, the program negotiated with the IMF requires steep spending cuts and increased revenues. A June IMF statement praised the Finance Bill and the upcoming fiscal year’s proposed budget as in line with the required ‘sizable and upfront fiscal consolidation,’ referring to reducing public expenditure or increasing revenues.”
The BBC reported in mid-June that the Finance Bill praised by the IMF included “a 16% levy on bread”, taxes “on cooking oil, mobile money services and on motor vehicles”, taxes that “would raise the cost of key goods such as nappies, sanitary towels, computers and mobile phones” and that “a housing levy of 1.5% of a worker’s monthly pay, which goes towards the construction of affordable houses, has also been introduced” along with “a new higher health insurance levy is also due to come into effect soon.”
We continue to follow this.
Further reading:
– PBI-Kenya demands release of at least 210 peaceful protestors arrested at the Occupy Parliament protest (June 18, 2024)
– PBI-Kenya calls for the release of activists arbitrarily detained before protest against vote on finance bill (June 25, 2024)
– PBI-Kenya supports call for police accountability following the deaths of more than 40 people at recent protests (July 17, 2024)
Published by Brent Patterson on