Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
16 July 2023 | 22:09 CAT

Image: BBC

For the second time in less than a week, protests have erupted in Nairobi and other major cities in Kenya, bringing businesses to a standstill and causing major disruptions around the country.

Kenya’s opposition called on Thursday for a third day of demonstrations against tax hikes on July 19, after previous protests saw several of Kenya’s towns and cities witness violent and sometimes deadly stand-offs with police.

Police shot at least two protesters dead in the capital Nairobi on Wednesday, officers said, as they sought to repel a crowd advancing down the main expressway. Local media reported at least six people were killed in the nationwide protests.

Researcher, Historian, Lecturer and Researcher of Historical Reflections on Kenya: Intellectual Adventurism, Politics and International Relations, Professor Macharia Munene unpacks the unrest with Radio Islam International.

According to Prof Munene, two angles resulted in the protests. Firstly, he said the leader of the protest movement, Raila Odinga refuses to accept that he has lost the election and stated that he wants to remove the President from the State House.

Secondly, the President has made mistakes and has appeared to be insensitive to the wishes of the people and their grievances. There is a growth towards the president’s administration.

President William Ruto was elected last August on a platform of helping Kenya’s working poor. Still, his critics say the tax rises he signed in June will deepen the plight of Kenyans already struggling to afford basic commodities such as maize flour.

President William Ruto was elected last August on a platform of helping Kenya’s working poor. Still, his critics say the tax rises he signed in June will deepen the plight of Kenyans already struggling to afford basic commodities such as maize flour.

Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, who has finished runner-up in five presidential elections, said two MPs had been among at least 300 arrested for their role in Wednesday’s protest, which saw several people hospitalized.

“We are not giving up in our quest to force Mr William Ruto to lower the cost of living, respect the views of Kenyans, reconstitute the (election commission) in a bipartisan manner and respect political parties,” Odinga told journalists.

Listen to the full interview on Sabahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.