30 people were killed during anti-government demonstrations in Kenya

“Human Rights Watch” announced on Saturday that at least 30 people were killed during anti-government demonstrations in Kenya, the highest toll since the start of protests against the tax increase law.

The organization reported that these numbers are based on testimonies, public information, and hospital and death records, while the Kenyan Commission for the Protection of Human Rights indicated that 22 people were killed.

Demonstrations broke out in the capital, Nairobi, and a number of counties in objection to Parliament’s discussion of a draft law to increase taxes, aiming to collect an additional $2.7 billion to reduce the budget deficit.

Although Kenyan President William Ruto withdrew the bill, the protests continued, as he announced in his last speech that he would withdraw from signing the bill after listening to the people’s demands.

The leader of the opposition “Azimu La Umoja” coalition and former prime minister, Raila Odinga, accused the government of “killing protesters.”

These accusations come in light of a bitter economic crisis that has led to the decline in the value of the Kenyan currency, the shilling, by 22% against the US dollar since 2022, causing food, transportation and energy prices to rise, while income has remained almost the same.

In this context, the International Monetary Fund called on Kenya to reduce the debt burden and implement a “medium-term revenue strategy” to increase the tax base.

President Ruto faces sharp criticism from his opponents, who accuse him of submitting to the International Monetary Fund at the expense of the interests of the Kenyan people.

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