Demonstrations in Kenya: 13 deaths, several kidnappings, looting, Parliament invaded… why the country is falling into crisis ?

La journée de mobilisation contre le projet de loi de finances 2024 a viré au drame au Kenya ce mardi 25 juin. MAXPPP – DANIEL IRUNGU

Des manifestations antigouvernementales au Kénya ont viré au chaos dans la capitale Nairobi, avec des affrontements entre les manifestants et la police. Plusieurs personnes ont été tuées, le Parlement envahi et les bureaux du gouverneur de Nairobi incendiés.

At least 13 people were killed this Tuesday, June 25 in Kenya during the day of anti-government protests which turned into chaos, the president of the country's main professional association of doctors told AFP this Wednesday. , considering that this assessment remained provisional.

"So far we have at least 13 people killed, but that's not the final number. […] We have never seen before, we saw violence in 2007 following the elections, but never this level of violence against unarmed people" , said Kenya Medical Association president Simon Kigondu.

Kenya woke up in a state of shock this Wednesday, June 28, the day after the violence, which notably saw demonstrators storm the Parliament, a first in the history of the independent country since 1963.

Scenes of chaos in Nairobi

"Deaths, disorder", headlined the daily newspaper The Standard, while the Daily Nation described the situation as "Pandemonium" (capital of hell, editor's note), estimating that "the foundations of the country were deeply shaken", with several deaths and scenes of chaos in the center of the capital Nairobi.

The rallies, mainly led by young people, began peacefully last week, with thousands of demonstrators marching in Nairobi and other cities across the country to protest against the new taxes planned in the 2024-2025 budget, currently debated in parliament.

On Tuesday, as opponents demonstrated for the third time in eight days, tensions rose sharply in the afternoon in Nairobi.

The army deployed to face this "security emergency"

According to NGOs, including the Kenyan branch of Amnesty International, the police fired live ammunition to try to contain the crowd, which forced its way through security checkpoints to enter the Parliament building. Buildings were ransacked and partially set on fire.

Looting took place in Nairobi and several towns. Buildings were set ablaze in Eldoret, in the Rift Valley, the stronghold of President William Ruto.

A few hours later, the government announced that it was deploying the army to support the police in the face of this “security emergency” and these "destruction and intrusion into crucial infrastructure".

In the evening, President Ruto displayed his firmness by pledging to firmly repress "violence and ’anarchy", promising in particular to make these people pay for "criminals posing as peaceful protesters" who “reign terror against the people, their elected representatives and institutions”.

An opposition mainly led by "Gen Z"

The government was taken by surprise by the intensity of the opposition to its plans for tax increases, mainly led by young Kenyans of "Generation Z" (young people born after 1997).

On Wednesday morning, a strong police presence was deployed around parliament, where the scent of tear gas was still in the air. Posted in front of the broken barricades of the complex, a police officer explains to AFP that he was shocked by what he saw the day before on television. "It’was crazy, we hope that calm will return today", he said.< /p>

The main opposition coalition, Azimio, led by historic opponent Raila Odinga, accused the government of having unleashed " his brute force" against the protesters and urged the police to "stop shooting innocent, peaceful, unarmed children".

The group of NGOs led by Amnesty Kenya also highlighted on Tuesday that they had noted 21 kidnappings of people by "officers in uniform or in plain clothes" during the previous 24 hours, accusations on which the police, requested by the AFP, did not’ did not react.

International concern

The violence and scenes of chaos in Nairobi on Tuesday alarmed the United States and more than a dozen European countries, as well as the UN and the African Union, which declared themselves "very concerned" by the violence and called for calm.

The protest movement against taxes, called "Occupy Parliament" ("Occupy Parliament") was launched on social networks shortly after the presentation to Parliament on June 13 of the 2024-2025 draft budget, including a VAT of 16% on bread and an annual tax of 2.5% on private vehicles.

After the start of protests, the government, which considers new taxes necessary in view of the country's heavy debt, announced on June 18 that it was withdrawing most of the measures planned for this purpose. But the demonstrators demand the complete withdrawal of the text.

Before Tuesday, this mobilization had already been marked by the death of two people in Nairobi, as well as dozens of injuries and hundreds of arrests.