In Kenya, clashes break out between police and protesters while the military patrols the streets

NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenyan police clashed with demonstrators in Nairobi on Thursday ahead of planned protests against a controversial finance bill, despite the president’s decision not to sign the bill after the plans sparked deadly chaos in the capital and protesters stormed and burned parts of the parliament building.

Protesters who said last week they would march on State House on Thursday say they still distrust President William Ruto after he announced tax increases would be reversed and budget cuts made.

Police have thrown tear gas grenades at protesters trying to gather in the central business district. The military is patrolling the city, although a court on Wednesday suspended its deployment to support police during the protests.

Vice President Rigathi Gachagua called on the young demonstrators on Wednesday to cancel their planned protests and give dialogue a chance.

The leaderless movement began online with young people demanding that parliamentarians reject the proposed tax increases. It later escalated into calls for the president to resign after the bill was passed. On Tuesday, thousands of protesters stormed the Kenyan parliament, burning parts of the building and forcing parliamentarians to flee. Police opened fire and at least 22 people were reportedly killed in the chaos.

Activists were divided over the agenda of Thursday’s protests. One protester, Boniface Mwangi, called on others to march peacefully to Parliament Road, where protesters were killed, to pay their respects. “Invading State House is not a solution,” he wrote on X.

But Francis Gaitho, one of the many activists who mobilized for the protests online, insisted that the young people should march to the State House.

Activists and others warned that the stakes were higher than in previous protests, with Ruto vowing on Tuesday to quell the unrest “at all costs.”

Analyst Javas Bigambo told the Associated Press that the discontent is partly due to Kenyans’ lack of confidence in the president to implement the austerity measures announced on Wednesday.

“Kenyans still have problems with the economy and waste in government,” he said.

Bigambo said Ruto’s U-turn should be a “lesson in humility” as his initial reaction on Tuesday was “lacking in dignity and full of emotion”, further inflaming protesters. He said the government should win back the people by opening channels of dialogue and ensuring a consultative budget process.

Businessmen in Nairobi stood guard outside their shops on Thursday to prevent looting and vandalism that occurred during protests on Tuesday.

Major roads leading to key government buildings, including Parliament, have been closed.

Outside Nairobi, protests were reported in Mombasa, Kisumu, Migori and other major cities.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Ruto on Wednesday and thanked him for his steps to ease the situation.

“The Foreign Minister stressed the importance of security forces showing restraint and refraining from violence and called for an immediate investigation into allegations of human rights violations,” it said in a statement.

Ruto is being welcomed in Washington as a welcome, stable partner in Africa, while elsewhere on the continent frustration with the US and other Western powers is growing.

In May, Ruto traveled to Washington for the first state visit by an African leader in 16 years. On Tuesday, as protests erupted, the US designated Kenya as its first major non-NATO ally in sub-Saharan Africa, a largely symbolic move but one that highlighted their security partnership. Also on Tuesday, hundreds of Kenyan police were deployed to lead a multinational force against gangs in Haiti, an initiative for which US President Joe Biden thanked him.