POLICE in Kenya have fired tear gas on some citizens who took to the streets to protest despite the country’s President William Ruto bowing to pressure and declining to sign the controversial Finance Bill.
On Thursday, June 27, the protesters returned to the streets demanding that the President and other leaders step down from their positions.
They claimed they no longer believed in the administration and it must quit.
“Forcing down a bad Bill was evil enough for us. It indicts the conduct of the leaders. Let them do us a favour and resign.
“Deploying the Armed Forces to quell riots in the streets marks a significant low for the Kenya Kwanza administration. If they have decided to deploy the Army, let them take over the management of the country and in 90 days we conduct a fresh election,” a protester said, according to Kenyan local media, The Star.
The ICIR reports that the protests in Kenya began about a week ago when citizens demanded Ruto’s resignation over a controversial Finance Bill at the country’s Parliament, which the citizens believed would hike taxes and worsen the already harsh economic realities.
Despite the killing of many citizens as a result of the protest and the President declining to sign the bill into law, the protesters still demanded a peaceful march to be held today, Thursday, in memory of those killed during the protest on Tuesday, June 25.
After the destructions and killings that trailed the protest on Tuesday, June 25, the President addressed the country the following day saying he would not sign the bill into law.
“Having reflected on the continuing conversation regarding the content of the Finance Bill 2024, and listening keenly to the people of Kenya who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this Finance Bill 2024, I concede, and, therefore, I will not sign the 2024 Finance Bill,” he said.
He added that following the bill’s passage by the Parliament, the country experienced widespread dissatisfaction, regrettably resulting in the loss of lives, the destruction of property, and the desecration of constitutional institutions.
During the nationwide protests on Tuesday, the protesters set a part of the Parliament on fire, while lawmakers were inside passing reviews to increase taxes.
In a chaotic scene, the protesters outnumbered the police, chasing them away as they sought to enter the Parliament premises in Nairobi, the country’s capital.
Several other cities and towns across Kenya witnessed protests and clashes, with many citizens demanding Ruto’s resignation and opposing tax increases.
Addressing the nation, the President noted that the debate on the tax had been “hijacked by dangerous people”, describing the intrusion into Parliament as an act of treason and vowed to take action against the organisers and financiers of the protests.
In Nairobi, police resorted to firing when tear gas and water cannons proved ineffective in dispersing the crowds after they succeeded in driving protesters away from the Parliament Building, and lawmakers were evacuated through an underground tunnel.
Also, the country’s Defence Minister, Aden Duale, stated that the Army had been called in to assist the police in handling a “security emergency” that had led to the “destruction and breaching of critical infrastructure”.
