Current:Home > ScamsDeadly protests over Kenya finance bill prompt President William Ruto to drop support for tax hikes -FinanceMind
Deadly protests over Kenya finance bill prompt President William Ruto to drop support for tax hikes
View
Date:2025-04-18 21:07:24
Johannesburg — Human rights groups say at least 22 protesters were killed and scores more wounded on the streets of Kenya Tuesday as they clashed with police in chaotic demonstrations over a contentious finance bill laden with tax hikes that was passed by the country's parliament. With the deaths and injuries still being counted, the protesters' message appeared to have convinced Kenya's president to back down, and he said Wednesday that he would not sign the bill into law.
Protesters in the capital city of Nairobi broke into the parliament building and set part of it on fire Tuesday just after lawmakers voted to pass the controversial finance bill. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said at least 22 people were killed in the clashes, and other organizations cited similar death tolls.
On Wednesday afternoon, in his second televised remarks in just 24 hours, President William Ruto said: "I concede and will not sign the bill."
The deeply unpopular tax increases were intended to raise almost $2.3 billion to help address Kenya's dire finances. The national debt has spiraled out of control for years, bringing pressure on the government from foreign financial institutions and forcing it to hand over a massive proportion of its annual revenue in interest payments.
Ruto said Wednesday that, as he was sending the finance bill back to parliament for changes, there should be a national dialogue to figure out how to remedy the economic crisis.
He called for "a conversation as a nation, as to how we manage the affairs of the nation together, the debt, the budget, together."
Members of the protest movement, led largely by younger Kenyans, vowed in social media posts before Ruto's Wednesday remarks to return to the streets on Thursday for another day of demonstrations.
"You cannot kill all of us," activist Hanifa Adan said in one post. "Tomorrow we march peacefully again as we wear white, for all our fallen people. You will not be forgotten!"
It was not immediately clear whether the protests planned for Thursday would go ahead given Ruto's decision not to sign the finance bill.
The protests started last week, initially against proposed sharp tax increases on staples including bread, cooking oil and diapers. Those most controversial measures were abandoned even before the vote in parliament on Tuesday.
The demonstrations have been organized primarily by younger Kenyans, Gen Z's who have used social media to draw large numbers to the events.
The rallies began peacefully but grew more acrimonious until they exploded in violence on Tuesday, with police firing teargas, water cannon and live ammunition as they tried to control the raucous crowds.
The protesters who broke into the parliament vandalized the interior of the building and set parts of the complex on fire, shocking lawmakers as they burst through the doors to the chamber and sending some fleeing for shelter in basement corridors.
The parliament's ceremonial mace, symbolizing the legislature's authority, was stolen and seen in the hands of protesters as they walked down a road outside.
In an address Tuesday evening, Ruto said all means would be deployed to "thwart any attempts by dangerous criminals to undermine the security and stability of our country," and he later deployed Kenyan military forces to help quell the protests.
Medics and hospital administrators reported close to 300 people injured nationally in the clashes on Tuesday.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply saddened" by the reports of deaths and injuries, "including those of journalists and medical personnel, connected to protests and street demonstrations in Kenya."
He urged Kenyan authorities to "exercise restraint," and called for peaceful demonstrations.
In a statement on Wednesday, the rights advocacy group Amnesty International said the responsibility for the deaths on Tuesday, "lies squarely with President Ruto, even though he was not present on the street. He cannot escape accountability."
- In:
- Africa
- Kenya
Sarah Carter is an award-winning CBS News producer based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has been with CBS News since 1997, following freelance work for organizations including The New York Times, National Geographic, PBS Frontline and NPR.
TwitterveryGood! (579)
Related
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Staples introduces free backpack and school supply recycling program: See what items they accept
- Federal prosecutors recommend to Justice Department that Boeing be criminally prosecuted
- Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise's Daughter Suri Celebrates High School Graduation With Mom
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Go Instagram Official—With Help From the Royal Family
- FBI offering $10K reward for information about deadly New Mexico wildfires
- Scottie Scheffler wins PGA Tour event after 6 climate protesters run onto 18th green and spray powder
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- 3 caught in Florida Panhandle rip current die a day after couple drowns off state's Atlantic coast
Ranking
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Police: 1 arrested in shooting that wounded 7 people in Philadelphia
- 'We are the people that we serve': How an ex-abortion clinic became a lifeline for Black moms
- Horoscopes Today, June 21, 2024
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- NASA again delays Boeing Starliner's return to Earth, new target date still undetermined
- Wild Thang wins world's ugliest dog contest in Petaluma
- Prosecutors in classified files case to urge judge to bar Trump from inflammatory comments about FBI
Recommendation
The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
World's ugliest dog? Meet Wild Thang, the 8-year-old Pekingese who took the 2024 crown
Groundbreaking for new structure replacing Pittsburgh synagogue targeted in 2018 mass shooting
Caeleb Dressel's honesty is even more remarkable than his 50 free win at Olympic trials
Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
3 killed, 10 wounded in mass shooting outside Arkansas grocery store
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Wing Woman (Freestyle)
US Olympic track and field trials highlights: Noah Lyles wins 100, Christian Coleman misses out