insert_link Africa Kenya protests: Ruto pulling the finance bill is unlikely to satisfy angry young protesters – here’s why By Kathleen Klaus, Uppsala University In a move that shocked observers, Kenya’s President William Ruto announced on 26 June he was withdrawing his government’s highly controversial finance bill. This followed two days in which tens of thousands of mostly young protesters took to the streets in nationwide rallies against the proposals contained in the country’s 2024 budget. Kathleen Klaus, who has studied […] todayJune 27, 2024 92
insert_link Africa Kenya state-backed rights body says 22 killed in Tuesday protests Twenty-two people were killed in Tuesday's protests in Kenya, a state-funded rights organisation said, vowing an investigation into what it described as "the largest number of deaths (in) a single day protest." "We have recorded 22 deaths... we are going to launch an inquiry," said Roseline Odede, chairwoman of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, adding that 19 people had died in the capital Nairobi, where […] todayJune 26, 2024 13
insert_link Africa Kenyan police and protests: researchers on a violent, corrupt security force that’s beyond reform By Moina Spooner, The Conversation Kenya’s police are being criticised for their violent response to protests over the past week against government proposals to raise US$2.7 billion in additional taxes. Hundreds of thousands of people, across 35 of Kenya’s 37 counties, have poured out onto the streets in opposition to the tax hikes. The police have reacted with force, using live bullets and […] todayJune 26, 2024 22
insert_link Africa What’s next after Kenya’s deadly protests? By Rose TROUP BUCHANAN, Simon VALMARY After an unprecedented day of chaos and deadly violence, Kenya finds itself plunged into uncertainty on Wednesday, with lawmakers due to vote this week on deeply unpopular tax hikes that have sparked widespread protests. How did East Africa's economic powerhouse get to this point and what happens now? Tuesday's national strike against proposed tax hikes began peacefully, with […] todayJune 26, 2024 14
insert_link Africa ‘Shaken to the core’: Kenya shocked as protests turn deadly By Dylan GAMBA, Rose TROUP BUCHANAN Kenya was in a state of shock Wednesday following unprecedented scenes that left parts of parliament ablaze and gutted, as protests over proposed tax hikes turned deadly, prompting President William Ruto's government to deploy the military. "Deaths, mayhem", read the front-page headline on the Standard newspaper, while the Daily Nation described the situation as "Pandemonium", saying: "The […] todayJune 26, 2024 19
insert_link Africa Police Open Fire on Protesters in Kenya; At Least Five Dead, Parliament Set Ablaze Police in Kenya opened fire on demonstrators attempting to storm the legislature, resulting in at least five deaths and dozens of injuries. Reuters says protesters, reacting to legislation that raises taxes, overwhelmed the police and set parts of the parliament building on fire. Citizen TV reported that some protesters managed to enter the Senate chamber earlier in the day. todayJune 26, 2024 15
insert_link Africa Kenya protesters scuffle with police firing rubber bullets, tear gas By Hillary ORINDE Stone-throwing demonstrators scuffled Tuesday with Kenyan police who fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon to disperse thousands of mostly young people protesting proposed tax hikes in the capital Nairobi, AFP journalists saw. The mainly Gen-Z-led rallies, which began last week, have caught the government off guard, with President William Ruto saying over the weekend he was ready to talk to […] todayJune 25, 2024 23
insert_link Africa Kenya police fire rubber bullets at youth protesters in Nairobi: AFP journalists Kenyan police fired rubber bullets to disperse young protesters in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday, AFP journalists saw, escalating tensions as demonstrators rallied across the country against the government's proposed tax hikes. "Get the rubber bullets from the box," a police officer told his colleagues, according to an AFP journalist who overheard the conversation before they started firing in the air and at the protesters. bur-amu/kjm AFP […] todayJune 25, 2024 11
insert_link Africa Rwanda’s military support to other countries is part of a strategy to boost its reputation By Federico Donelli, University of Trieste Rwanda is one of Africa’s geographically smallest countries. However, its foreign policy, whose hallmark is military diplomacy, has attracted international attention. Military diplomacy refers to activities carried out by representatives of a country’s security apparatus to pursue its foreign policy interests. These activities include the use of armed forces in combat and non-combat operations. Powerful countries such as […] todayJune 25, 2024 23