In a sudden about-face, Kenyan President William Ruto announced on Wednesday he would not sign a finance bill that he had long argued would stabilize the country’s economy, responding to devastating protests the previous day that left about 20 people dead.
The exact death toll is still being tallied, but rights groups said 23 people were killed and more than 300 injured when police used tear gas and bullets against demonstrators who marched to Parliament to protest the proposed tax increases.
Hours after lawmakers voted to pass the bill, several people broke into the Capitol and set it on fire. The death toll made Tuesday’s riots one of the bloodiest in the country’s recent history.
“Having listened to the voices of Kenyans who have been vocal in saying they want nothing to do with this Finance Bill, I have made a concession and therefore will not sign the 2024 Finance Bill and will subsequently withdraw it,” Ruto said in an address to the nation on Wednesday.
Among the lawmakers sitting behind him were those who had passed bills in the House just a day earlier, some of whom had been roundly criticized by their constituents for supporting those bills.
The announcement marks a change of tack for Prime Minister Ruto, who in a speech on Tuesday night called the protesters “dangerous criminals” and “traitors” and deployed the military alongside police to quell the demonstrations.
Ruto’s administration introduced a finance bill last month to raise revenue through additional taxes. The government said the bill was needed to pay down the country’s huge debt, avoid default and pay for roads, rural electrification and agricultural subsidies.
But the bill has stirred widespread public discontent, with opponents arguing it will increase the cost of living. Critics of the bill have also pointed to the lavish lifestyles of Ruto and his administration and called on bureaucrats to rein in spending. Ruto also said his office would cut spending on travel, cars and office renovations, and suggested other government departments do the same.
Observers say the demonstrations have been led by mostly young protesters who are also angry at what some leaders have said is a lack of sensitivity to their concerns. Mr Ruto said the government would work with young people and broader groups over the next two weeks to chart a new economic course.
On Tuesday, as lawmakers were debating and voting on the finance bill, protesters in Nairobi marched on Parliament, calling on lawmakers to withdraw it, but Ruto’s coalition government, which holds a majority in parliament, quickly passed the bill.
Tensions remained high in major cities across Kenya on Wednesday after protesters on Tuesday stormed parliament and set parts of it on fire, an act that President Ruto said posed an “existential crisis” for the East African nation.
Some protesters vowed to march again on Thursday to protest the crackdown and mourn the victims.
Political analysts said Wednesday the president remains under siege on multiple fronts and his leadership faces a major test.
“He’s ruined a lot of goodwill,” said Nanjala Nyabora, a Kenyan analyst who has written about how the internet has affected Kenyan politics. “He may survive this moment, but he’s pushed Kenya into very deep, uncharted territory.”
Roselyn Odede, chairperson of the Kenya National Human Rights Commission, a state-run agency, said at a press conference on Wednesday that the commission would launch an investigation into Tuesday’s violence.
“It violates a lot of rights in terms of the response,” Odede said.
Government agencies put the death toll at 22, but the independent Kenya Human Rights Commission and the Police Reform Task Force, a coalition of grassroots groups, put the figure at 23.
Businesses were gradually reopening across the country on Wednesday, but newspapers sold on the streets of the capital, Nairobi, painted a vivid picture of the chaos of the previous day. “Chaos,” read the front page of the Daily Nation. “Death, chaos, anger,” proclaimed the Star.
“I’m shocked, saddened and angry,” said John Swagie, a taxi driver coming into the city. “The deaths and destruction are unbelievable and completely unnecessary.”
The nationwide protests have been leaderless, with young protesters using social media to organize and appeal directly to lawmakers. Observers say the majority of protesters are from Gen Z, the generation born in the mid-to-late 1990s and early 2000s.
Many people took to platforms such as X and TikTok to campaign against the bill. I also tell them to stay away from politicians. Keep them away from demonstrations so they don’t threaten their movement.
Some people Social Media Reach Out About friends, co-workers and family members who were last seen during Tuesday’s protests.
Activists also say a series of abductions took place in the days leading up to and within the hours of the protests, and that disappearances continue in the aftermath of the violence.
Faith Odhiambo, president of the Kenya Bar Association, said about 50 young Kenyans had been kidnapped. The missing youths had been speaking out against a tax bill, but had been intimidated, physically followed and had their communications monitored, she said.
Human rights groups have long accused Kenyan police of kidnappings and extrajudicial disappearances that have rocked the country. Chief Justice Martha Koome on Tuesday condemned the alleged kidnapping..
In his speech, Ruto said all those who were missing “have been found in police custody and those who have already been processed have already been released.”
Musician Kasmuel Makoah, who was at the forefront of Tuesday’s protests, remains missing. Odhiambo said:.
In an interview with The New York Times on Sunday, McCaul said he had been threatened and stopped by people he thought were plainclothes officers. “No matter what they do, we’re not going to give in,” he said.
On Wednesday, a prominent protester, who declined to give his name for security reasons, said he had survived a kidnapping attempt and was in hiding. He said several men tried to force him into a car near his home but he escaped after members of the public intervened.
Tension erupted in the capital shortly after lawmakers approved the finance bill on Tuesday, as large crowds stormed Parliament, scaling its walls and ransacking parts of the complex. Defence Minister Aden Douale said he would send in troops. Assisting police in dealing with Kenya’s ‘security emergency’: Law Society of Kenya It is called The minister’s actions were “unconstitutional” Lawsuit to halt deployment.
An hour later, Mr Ruto sounded uncompromising in a televised address, calling the protesters “criminals disguised as peaceful protest”.
“I assure the people that government is mobilising all resources at its disposal to ensure that this never happens again, whatever the cost,” Ruto said.
The strong smell of tear gas still lingered in downtown Nairobi on Wednesday, where a burnt car was parked next to the City Hall offices that protesters had broken into. Across the street, the fence at the entrance to the Supreme Court had been destroyed.
