Parliament and the president`s office in Nairobi, Kenya`s capital, were barricaded on Wednesday. This action came ahead of planned protests marking the one-year anniversary of anti-tax demonstrations, which tragically resulted in 60 deaths and left 20 others still missing.
A heavy police presence was evident, and roads leading to Parliament were blocked with razor wire, as was President William Ruto`s statehouse office. During last year`s protests, demonstrators had stormed Parliament, burning part of the building as lawmakers fled. Bodies lay in the streets, and medical workers and watchdogs reported that police had opened fire, leading to the deployment of the military.
Kenyan youth remain deeply unhappy with the current administration. Their grievances include widespread corruption, the rising cost of living, police brutality, and the recent death of a blogger while in custody. The close-range shooting of a civilian during more recent protests has further exacerbated public anger.
Young Kenyans utilised social media platforms to organise these remembrance protests for those who died last year. However, government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura stated on Monday that no protests would be allowed, declaring Wednesday a “normal working day.”
Despite the government`s stance, businesses in Nairobi remained closed on Wednesday, and police restricted vehicle movement into the central business district. Hundreds of Kenyans were already on the streets early in the morning, chanting anti-government slogans as police deployed tear gas canisters at some of the crowds.
Wangechi Kahuria, executive director for the Independent Medico-Legal Unit, an NGO that tracked the killings during last year`s protests, asserted that Kenyans should be “allowed to mourn and go back home.” Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja had stated on Tuesday that no unauthorised persons would be permitted inside protected zones such as Parliament and the State House.
Local media outlets on Wednesday published the names and photos of some of those who perished during last year`s protests. The headline in a major newspaper, The Standard, prominently read “A luta Continua,” a Portuguese phrase meaning
“The struggle continues,” famously used as a slogan by rebels during Mozambique`s struggle for independence from colonial rule. Political analyst Herman Manyora hailed the protesters as “heroes” who paid the ultimate price and should be remembered. “The authorities should work with the demonstrators to ensure a good commemoration,” he suggested.
However, Manyora warned that the protesters` unhappiness persists because the “government has been intransigent and has hardened the resolve of the young people to keep fighting.”
During last year`s protests, President Ruto had dissolved the Cabinet, which had faced accusations of incompetence and corruption. Yet, he retained most of his previous ministers in his new Cabinet despite ongoing concerns.
A finance bill proposing high taxes, initially passed by Parliament, was subsequently withdrawn. However, more taxes were later introduced in the same year through legislative amendments. President Ruto also appointed opposition party members to the Cabinet last year, and in March, he signed a political pact with his election rival, opposition leader Raila Odinga.
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