THE protests against proposed tax hike in Kenya has turned violent leaving five protesters dead while 31 sustained various degrees of injuries when Police allegedly fired live bullets into the crowd.
A CNN team witnessed Kenyan police beating and later arresting some paramedics who were helping injured protesters.
The bill behind the chaos:
Finance Bill 2024 has unleashed widespread protests under the slogan of “7 Days of Rage.”
Last week, the Government scrapped some tax increases after people took to the streets.
They included a proposed 16% value-added tax on bread along with taxes on motor vehicles, vegetable oil and mobile money transfers.
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President’s response
President William Ruto, in an address to the nation, said the security of families and property was his utmost priority. He said Tuesday’s events marked a “critical turning point” in how the government responded “to grave threats to our national security.” He added that Kenya was “infiltrated and hijacked by a group of organized criminals.”
Injuries and damage:
Kenya’s Red Cross said some of its vehicles were attacked and its staff and volunteers were injured during the protests. It did not say which people or groups injured its staff and volunteers nor who attacked its vehicles. Vehicles parked at Kenya’s Supreme Court were set on fire, CNN’s affiliate Citizen TV Kenya reported.
Parliament set on fire:
Kenya’s parliament was set ablaze as protesters stormed the building and the ceremonial mace was also stolen. Nairobi’s City Hall, the office of the governor of Nairobi, was also set on fire.
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Internet disruptions:
The Internet monitoring site NetBlocks reported a “major disruption” to connectivity. The outages also impacted neighboring countries, including Burundi, Uganda and Rwanda, it said.
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Military intervention.
Kenya’s military was deployed to support the country’s police services, according to the cabinet secretary of the country’s defense ministry.
Reactions:
Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga called for the government to “immediately stop the violence its agencies are meting out on citizens.”
Several ambassadors based in Kenya said they were “deeply concerned” by the violence. The US State Department also condemned the violence while the UN Secretary-General called on Kenya’s police and security forces to “exercise restraint.”
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Africans leaders are just the same where are we going?