Kenya Protest: Videos Go Viral As Internet Disrupted, Several Killed; Know The Reason Behind the Protest

On Tuesday, several violent protests were witnessed in Kenya.

Amid the prevailing economic crisis, thousands of people took to the streets to oppose the government’s tax hike.

As tensions worsened, the country experienced internet service disruptions in certain areas.

Reportedly, police opened fire on protesters, which led to dozens of casualties.

According to reports by international media, several human bodies could be spotted on the streets of Kenya.

Cops used tear gas to control the mob, which tried to “storm the Parliament building to prevent the passage of the bill.”

The protests were sparked by the Finance Bill 2024. This resulted in people displaying banners of “7 Days of Rage” to show their opposition to the proposed tax hikes.

The protests caught the government off guard. Thus, President William Ruto also announced that he would converse with the protesters.

Casualties Reported

Police opened fire at the crowds outside the parliament building where the debate regarding the hike was taking place.

According to a statement issued by the Kenya Human Rights Commission on X, formerly Twitter, “Police shot four protesters, as witnessed by KHRC, killing one.”

Notably, a minimum of 50 people were badly injured by gunfire.

Around 165 injured were admitted to the country’s largest referral hospital, Nairobi’s Kenyatta National Hospital, reported by nation.africa.

Exploring the Reason Behind Kenya Protests

Kenya is quite upset with the current Finance Bill. But why? Because the Finance Bill aims to raise an additional $2.7bn in taxes.

The initiative was taken to curb the existing heavy debt load in the country, along with the payment of interest. The debt load of Kenya currently constitutes 37% of annual revenue.

On Tuesday, the Bill was approved by Parliament. Thus, the president will receive the legislation to sign or send it back to the parliament in case of any objections.

Seeing the level of the protests, the Kenya Government has come up with concessions. It has also promised to scrap proposed new taxes on financial transactions, car ownership, cooking oil, and bread.

However, the protests in Kenya continue.

Latest Update

As the situation in Kenya got out of hand, in the latest development on Wednesday, Kenya’s President William Ruto said that the finance bill would be withdrawn, as reported by BBC.

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