After the tabling of Finance Bill 2024 in Parliament, protests and unrest have rocked Nairobi and other counties – many Kenyans want nothing to do with the government plan to raise nearly $2.7 billion in additional taxes.
However, even as tens of thousands swarmed the streets to express their outrage against the bill, which, they say, will increase the already worse cost of living situation in the country, they did not enjoy their constitutional right to protest peaceably, an alliance of human rights organisations including Amnesty International said.
Findings from the social justice groups which have been monitoring the Finance Bill protests across Kenya have raised concerns about continued violence during the demonstrations that have descended into days of unrest for the better part of this week, with reports of shootings and other injuries, all totalling over 200, caused by police.
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“Live shootings were confirmed with the recovery of spent cartridges,” their joint statement reads.
They reported that Nairobi recorded the highest number of injuries at 20 when police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protestors in the country’s capital, especially in the central business district (CBD) area, where youthful protestors had lit bonfires during the demos.
Worse, by the time of going to press, one person had been killed while participating in the demonstrations in Nairobi and over 100 had been arrested and locked up in police cells within counties like Vihiga, Narok, Uasin Gishu and Nakuru, where people were also demonstrating.
The new data highlights the danger of the presence of guns during politically charged protests and raises concerns about continued violence during such constitutionally allowable peaceful demonstrations.
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