Kenya police clash with protesters as tax bill unrest continues
Police have fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters across Kenya as demonstrations against a controversial finance bill continue, even after the president said he would not sign it.
In the capital city, Nairobi, riot police fired tear gas and charged at protesters on Tuesday.
Hundreds of protesters marched through Mombasa, Kenya’s secondlargest city. Some carried palm fronds, blew on plastic horns and beat on drums, chanting “Ruto must go!”
There were smaller rallies in the cities of Kisumu, Nakuru and Nyeri.
The protests are the most widespread unrest since dozens of protesters were killed in clashes a week ago. They appear to signal that President William Ruto has failed to appease the youth-led protest movement, despite abandoning plans for tax rises that triggered the unrest last month.
On Monday the Kenya National Human Rights Commission said that at least 39 people had been killed at the protests, which began on June 18.
Most of the deaths took place on June 25, when police opened fire as crowds tried to storm the parliament complex in central Nairobi, after legislators voted on the bill.
The commission said at least 361 people have been injured at the demonstrations, in what it described as “excessive and disproportionate” police force.
While Ruto withdrew his support for the bill a day after it was passed, the move has done little to stem the anger among the protest movement.
Many protesters fear the president could still sign the legislation before it officially expires next week. (Aljazeera)