Prepare for third wave of protests: Odinga
0
0
Kenyan opposition leader, Raila Odinga, has warned that government should prepare for a third wave pf protests. At least nine people were killed as protesters clashed with police in Kenyan cities during a second round of demonstrations within a week, which Odinga, called against a raft of tax hikes.
Police officers fired tear gas on Wednesday to disperse protesters in Nairobi, the port city of Mombasa and several other cities, according to footage aired on Kenyan television.
Clashes took place on the freeway connecting Nairobi to the main airport, fires were lit and fencing was destroyed. Toll services were also disrupted at three stations.
According to local media reports, three schoolchildren were rushed to the hospital in Kangemi on the outskirts of Nairobi after police sprayed tear gas into their school while dispersing protesters.
Shops were closed and the capital Nairobi was under heavy police surveillance. In the Mathare slum, police fired tear gas at demonstrators, who threw stones at them. They also used them to disperse demonstrators in the southern port city of Mombasa.
On Tuesday, the head of the national police force banned demonstrations called by the opposition, on the grounds that the latter had not informed the authorities, and invited the population not to join these “illegal gatherings”.
Six people had been killed on Friday during protests against the taxes, which are contained in a finance bill signed into law by President William Ruto last month.
Kenya’s High Court suspended the implementation of the legislation pending a legal challenge, but the government has raised petrol prices anyway.
Tax hikes and high cost of living
Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who called the protests, finished second in the last five presidential elections, including last year’s when he lost to Ruto. He has led a series of protests this year against the high cost of living and alleged election irregularities, demonstrations that have repeatedly degenerated into unrest.
The protests were paused in April to allow talks between the government and opposition.
Ruto’s administration said the tax hikes, which include a doubling of the fuel tax and introduction of a levy to fund affordable housing, will raise an extra 200 billion Kenyan shillings ($1.42bn) a year and are needed to deal with growing debt repayments and fund job-creation initiatives.
Annual interest payments on domestic debt alone have surged from 180 billion shillings ($1.34bn) nearly a decade ago when the debt binge started to 680 billion shillings ($5.09bn) this year, heaping pressure on the government’s cash flow, presidential adviser David Ndii said in April.
The opposition says the tax hikes will deepen the suffering of Kenyans at a time when many are already struggling with high prices of basic commodities such as maize flour.
