Kenya’s Generation Z rising: scores killed, wounded after police shoot at anti-tax hike protestors
At least five demonstrators were killed and dozens were wounded when Kenyan police on Tuesday (25 June) opened fire on angry protestors some of whom breached the parliament complex in Nairobi to express dissatisfaction with proposed tax hikes.
The mainly youth-led rallies, which started last week, have caught President William Ruto and his government off guard, with Ruto saying over the weekend he was ready to talk to the protesters. But tensions sharply escalated around the parliament on Tuesday afternoon, where lawmakers were debating a contentious bill featuring tax hike proposals. The protesters had demanded that legislators vote against the controversial bill imposing new taxes on Kenyans whose frustrations over the high cost of living have simmered for years. Angry that the new finance bill had been passed by lawmakers, crowds pushed their way towards the parliament complex, which was sealed off by police in full riot gear. The protesters outmaneuvered police to enter the parliament building, part of which was set on fire.
Several organizations, including Amnesty International Kenya, said at least 200 people were wounded in last week’s protests in Nairobi. The rights body has said “the pattern of policing protests is deteriorating fast”, urging the government to respect demonstrators’ right to assembly.
President Ruto said Sunday (23 June) he was proud of the young people who had come out to exercise their democratic duty and pledged to engage the youth on their concerns. Observers say it’s the first time bold young people from the so-called Generation Z — eg. those born during the late 1990s and early 2000s — expressed their anger at how the Kenyan government has been offloading its problems onto citizens. The cash-strapped government had previously defended the tax hikes as necessary in order to reduce Kenya’s reliance on external borrowing but it has scrapped many proposed tax hikes following the recent mass protests.
