Demonstrations in Kenya turned violent on Tuesday, leaving at least 22 people dead and more than 300 injured as protesters against new taxes clashed with police, the country’s National Human Rights Commission said on Wednesday.
The death toll made it one of the bloodiest days in the country’s recent history, and Roselyn Odede, the president of the organization, a national agency that will begin investigating the violence, said at a news conference Conduct an investigation.
“It violates a lot of rights in terms of response,” Ms Odede said.
Tensions grip Kenyan cities a day after protesters stormed parliament and set fire to the building, with President William Ruto saying the actions posed an “existential threat” to the East African country and prompting him to deploy the military .
There was still a strong smell of tear gas in the air after clashes between protesters and police in the center of the capital, Nairobi. Large rocks and a burned-out car were strewn next to the city hall office that protesters broke into. Across the street, a fence at the entrance to the Supreme Court building was destroyed.
Police also blocked the streets leading to Parliament, preventing pedestrians from passing through.
While businesses across Kenya are slowly reopening, newspapers sold on the streets of Nairobi documented the chaos of the previous day. “Chaos,” read the front page of the National Journal. “Death, chaos, anger,” declared the Star.
Activists said a wave of kidnappings in the days and hours leading up to the demonstrations continued after the demonstrations ended. Some took to social media to urge people to see their friends, colleagues and family one last time at Tuesday’s protests.
Faith Odhiambo, president of the Kenya Bar Association, said about 50 young Kenyans were kidnapped. She said they have been outspoken about tax increases but have been threatened, physically followed and their communications monitored. Ms Odiambo said in a statement that those abducted included her personal assistant.
Human rights groups have long accused Kenyan police forces of kidnappings and extrajudicial disappearances. The kidnappings shocked the country and prompted Chief Justice Martha Koome to condemn them on Tuesday.
Judge Koom called on the detainees to appear in court within 24 hours and urged the judiciary to properly investigate and handle any charges. She said the kidnapping “amounts to a direct attack on the rule of law, human rights and constitutionalism, which are our guiding national values.”
Ms Odiambo said two of the abductees were released on Tuesday. But others remain missing, Ms. Oguda said, including activist and policy analyst Gabriel Oguda, and musician and activist Kasmul Oguda, whom The New York Times interviewed over the past few days. Kasmuel McOure.
A prominent protester who declined to be named for security reasons said on Wednesday he survived a kidnapping attempt and was now in hiding. Protesters said several men tried to put him into a car near his home, but he fled after members of the public overwhelmed them.
Tuesday’s protest was the largest yet against a finance bill introduced by Ruto’s government last month to raise revenue through additional taxes. The government says the bill is necessary not only to pay off the country’s high debt, but also to cover the costs of measures such as roads, rural electrification and agricultural subsidies.
But the legislation sparked widespread public dissatisfaction, with opponents arguing it would significantly increase the cost of living. Critics of the bill have also pointed to the lavish lifestyle of Mr Ruto and members of his government and called on officials to limit spending. Observers said the demonstrations were largely started and led by young protesters, but they were also angered by the dismissive manner in which some leaders expressed concerns.
On Tuesday, as lawmakers debated and voted on the bill, protesters in Nairobi marched to parliament, urging them to concede. But Mr Ruto’s coalition had a majority in parliament and passed the legislation quickly.
Soon after, tensions gripped the city, with large crowds swarming parliament, scaling its walls and looting parts of the facility. After sunset, Defense Minister Aden Duale said he would deploy the military to support police in responding to the country’s “security emergency”.
An hour later, Ruto struck an uncompromising tone in a televised speech, calling the protests “treason” and blaming the violence on “criminals pretending to be peaceful protesters.”
“I would like to assure the nation that the government has mobilized all the resources at the country’s disposal to ensure that a situation of this nature does not happen again, no matter what the cost,” Mr Ruto said.
On Wednesday, political leaders and human rights groups urged the president to de-escalate the situation. Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who lost to Ruto in the 2022 election, called on him to repeal the bill and engage in dialogue with protesters.
“Kenya cannot kill children just because they need food, jobs and a listening ear,” Mr Odinga said in a statement.
