Kenyan police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters who are maintaining pressure on President William Ruto, despite his recent concessions. The activists, responsible for weeks of protests initially triggered by proposed tax hikes, called for a nationwide shutdown on Tuesday.
Ruto’s two-year presidency faces its most significant crisis yet, with protests persisting even after he withdrew $2.7 billion in tax increases and dismissed nearly his entire cabinet. Many protesters demand Ruto’s resignation, blaming him for poor governance, corruption, and the deaths of dozens of demonstrators in earlier anti-government rallies.
On Tuesday, police fired tear gas in Kitengela, a town on Nairobi’s southern outskirts, where around 200 protesters burned tires and chanted, “Ruto must go!” and “Stop killing us!” In Nairobi’s city center, riot police also used tear gas against a few dozen protesters calling for Ruto’s resignation. In Mombasa, demonstrators marched while waving palm fronds, as shown in Kenyan media footage.
Ruto’s office announced “multisectoral” talks to address protesters’ concerns, but there is no indication they have started. Most leading activists have rejected the invitation, insisting on immediate action against corruption instead.
As Kenya’s government spends over 30% of its revenue on debt interest, Ruto faces pressure from lenders to reduce deficits and a struggling population coping with rising living costs. Last month’s peaceful protests turned violent, with some demonstrators storming parliament on June 25, and police opening fire. Rights groups reported over 40 deaths in the protests.
On Monday, Ruto accused the Ford Foundation, an American philanthropic organization, of sponsoring those who caused “violence and mayhem” in Kenya, without providing evidence. The Ford Foundation denied the allegation, stating it neither funds nor sponsors the protests and maintains a nonpartisan grant-awarding policy.
