Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has pledged to press on with demonstrations against rising taxes and the escalating cost of living, despite having cancelled Wednesday’s protest. Odinga denounced the government’s use of brutal tactics to suppress protesters and criticised officials for refusing to negotiate a resolution to the crisis.
Speaking to international press in Nairobi on Tuesday, Odinga stated that the issue had moved beyond party politics and was now a national matter.
“The critical discourse in our country at present revolves around the high taxes, the surging cost of living and the consequent protests,” Odinga said. “Although the tax protests were sparked by Azimio, it has since extended beyond the party. Following the passage of the finance act, Kenyans have disregarded party affiliations and political divides to rally against punitive taxation and demand a reduction in the cost of essential commodities.”
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance leader voiced his dismay at the harsh response to peaceful protests by the police. He emphasised that such violence should never be employed as a means to disperse demonstrators.
“We’ve witnessed unprecedented horrors of police brutality against protesters. With a constitutional guarantee for protests, we could never have imagined that police would ban protests, confront protesters, and cause so many casualties,” Odinga said.
On Tuesday, the interior ministry reported that 305 law enforcement officers have been injured and one has died in the line of duty. Additionally, over 850 businesses have been vandalised and looted.
Human Rights Watch, last week, accused Kenyan government officials of utilising hostile rhetoric against protesters, urging officials to respect the demonstrators’ rights to assembly and peaceful protests. They documented 16 deaths caused either by police gunfire or beatings between March and May.
Child rights activist Collins Orono termed the current situation as regrettable, criticising both the government’s heavy-handedness and the lack of responsibility from the leaders.
“I think it all starts with our leaders acknowledging that the nation is bigger than them; our politicians realising that we have over 50 million Kenyans and the politicians are very few — we’ve delegated much power to the political class to the extent that they can do as they please, irrespective of the cost; whether we are losing lives or not, whether children are being tear-gassed or not, they simply don’t care,” Orono said.
According to the Azimio political alliance, approximately 50 people have died since the protests erupted in March. However, the official figures suggest a death toll of around 20. The police, maintaining the stance that the protests are unlawful, arrested 300 demonstrators last week.
Odinga has reiterated his desire not to be part of a government that refuses to negotiate a solution. He stated that there have been recent attempts from outside sources to mediate the crisis.
“President [William] Ruto invited the Tanzanian president here two weeks ago to mediate, but she was kept waiting. We were available, but the other side was not. She spent two nights here, all to no avail,” Odinga said.
Odinga has temporarily halted Wednesday’s planned demonstrations to allow time for prayers for those who lost their lives or were injured during the protests. A date for the resumption of protests is yet to be disclosed.
Image Credit: Raila Odinga/Twitter
