AFRICA/KENYA - "Protests against the finance bill triggered something bigger"

Nairobi (Fides Agency) - "The impression is that the withdrawal of the tax law is now totally insufficient to stop the anger of the people", says an observer from church circles in Nairobi, where yesterday, June 26, President William Ruto was forced to withdraw the finance law passed by parliament after demonstrations turned violent (see Fides 26/6/20024).
"I have listened carefully to the Kenyan people who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with the Finance Bill 2024 and I yield to that so I will not sign the Finance Bill 2024 which will be withdrawn as a result," the Kenyan president said live on television.
However, the popular march announced for today, June 27, has been confirmed. Some of the demonstrators are now demanding Ruto's resignation. The center of Nairobi is occupied by a strong police presence to protect the parliament, the presidential palace and other government buildings.
"At the moment, one gets the impression that the protests against the Finance Bill, which provides for new taxes, were the trigger for something bigger: People are rejecting the system that has governed political and economic relations in Kenya so far," says the observer, who requests anonymity for security reasons.
"It is a popular revolt led by the so-called Generation Z, who are well aware of the corruption and mismanagement in the country. They have not given themselves their own leadership, perhaps out of fear that they could be arrested by the authorities," our source continued. "Calls to revolt to change the system that has ruled Kenya for 60 years are piling up on social media and messaging apps. It's not always clear who is posting these calls, but they are helping to fuel tensions that are already high due to the deaths in recent days (at least 23 according to medical sources)."
"Ruto has sent a contingent of Kenyan police to Haiti, but he doesn't realize he has conditions like Haiti at home. At least one and a half million people live in the slums around Nairobi. What could happen if they get into an uproar?" the observer asks in conclusion.(LM) (Fides Agency 27/6/2024)

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