The national rights monitor reports that, as demonstrators prepare for another wave of protests this week, at least 39 people have died in recent anti-government demonstrations in Kenya.
Death of 39 people
The number of people who died while protesting against several controversial tax increases that have since been retracted is nearly twice as high as that previously revealed by the government, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), which announced on Monday.
The state-funded organization, KNCHR, released a statement stating that their data show 39 fatalities and 361 injuries “related to the demonstrations across the nation.” The figures were valid from June 18 to July 1.
627 protestors arrested
It further stated that 627 protestors had been arrested and that 32 incidences of “enforced or involuntary disappearances” had occurred.
The controversial measure was passed by lawmakers last Tuesday, sparking startling scenes of deadly violence amid largely peaceful anti-tax marches spearheaded by youthful Gen-Z demonstrators.
Crowds stormed the central Nairobi parliament building after the vote was announced, setting it partially on fire while police opened fire on demonstrators.
worst crisis to face President William Ruto’s administration
This is the worst crisis to face President William Ruto’s administration since he assumed office in September 2022, after a bitterly contested election in a country frequently regarded as a bulwark of stability in an unstable area.
Ruto acknowledged that 19 people had died during the protests in a Sunday TV interview, but he asserted that he did not have “blood on my hands” and promised to look into the killings.
The KNCHR “continues to condemn in the strongest terms possible the unwarranted violence and force that was inflicted on protesters, medical personnel, lawyers, journalists and on safe spaces such as churches, medical emergency centers, and ambulances, “the rights agency said.
“We maintain that the force used against the protesters was excessive and disproportionate.”
The parliament and other official institutions were among the “shocking and violent acts of lawlessness that was exhibited by some of the protesters,” the watchdog added.
More scheduled rallies and government stance
Activists have scheduled more rallies for Tuesday, even though Ruto declared last week that he would not sign the measure carrying the tax increases into law.
With the hashtags “Occupy Everywhere,” “Ruto must go,” and “Reject Budgeted Corruption,” leaflets have been shared on social media.
The cash-strapped Kenyan government has previously claimed that the tax rises were required to pay off the country’s enormous public debt, totaling over 10 trillion shillings ($78 billion), or almost 70% of GDP.
According to the International Monetary Fund, the government must enact budgetary changes to receive vital funds from the lender in Washington, DC.
Following the start of the protests, Ruto already reversed certain tax policies, which prompted the Treasury to issue a dire warning of a 200 billion shilling ($1.6 billion) budget deficit.
In the interview on Sunday, Ruto had cautioned that when the finance bill was shelved, the government would need to borrow a lot of money.
