Members of the protest movement, which has no official leaders and largely organizes via social media, have rejected appeals from President William Ruto for dialogue, even after he abandoned proposed tax hikes, Reuters reported. Infuriated by the deaths last week — at least 39 according to the government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNHCR) — many are now demanding that Ruto step down. “We are determined to push for the president’s resignation,” Ojango Omondi, an activist in Nairobi, said.
“We hope for a peaceful protest and minimal casualties, if any.” The protests that started as an online outpouring of anger over nearly $2.7 billion of tax hikes in a proposed finance bill have grown into a nationwide movement against corruption and misgovernance, and become the most serious crisis of Ruto’s nearly two-year-old presidency.
He has been caught between the competing demands of lenders such as the International Monetary Fund, which are urging the heavily-indebted government to cut deficits, and a hard-pressed population reeling from the soaring cost of living. Ruto has directed the treasury to come up with ways to cut spending to fill the budget gap caused by the bill’s withdrawal, and also said more borrowing will be required. The protests, which began in mid-June, were mostly peaceful until last Tuesday, when police clashed with demonstrators.
Some protesters briefly stormed parliament and set part of it ablaze. The police opened fire, ki.
