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IOL News
a day ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Kenyan youth send a clear message to embattled Ruto
PROTESTERS chant anti-government slogans atop a vandalised car used as a barricade to block a road during Saba Saba Day demonstrations in Nairobi on July 7, 2025. Saba Saba Day marks the uprising on July 7, 1990 when Kenyans demanded a return to multi-party democracy after years of autocratic rule by then-president Daniel Arap Moi. Image: AFP Dr. Sizo Nkala Kenya is going through turbulent times. In less than a month, the country has seen two rounds of youth-led anti-government protests on June 25 and July 7. The first wave of protests, concentrated mainly in the capital, Nairobi, was a commemoration of the deadly June 2024 protests in which young people thronged the streets to express their disapproval of a government-proposed bill to increase taxes. About 60 protesters lost their lives, and scores of others were injured, largely due to a heavy-handed police response. The protests were effective as the bill was withdrawn, and President William Ruto dismissed his cabinet en masse. The issues at the centre of this year's June protests included police brutality, human rights abuses and government corruption, with some of the protesters calling for the president's resignation. Another brutal police response saw 16 protesters lose their lives and around 400 others get injured. The July 7 protests coincided with the 35th anniversary of Saba Saba Day, during which Kenyans commemorate the July 7 1990, protests which forced the Daniel Arap Moi regime to reinstate multi-party politics. The clear message in the choice of the date of the protest is that the Kenyan young people are not impressed by the government's performance – they want change. President Ruto has not been a gracious interlocutor in the whole process, which has not gone down well with the youth. In June, he mockingly and arrogantly asked the protesters where they wanted him to go in response to the #RutoMustGo, which was trending on social media. After the Saba Saba demonstrations, Ruto recklessly ordered the police to shoot any unruly demonstrators in the leg to incapacitate them. His comments drew widespread criticism from human rights and civil society organisations, who have accused the security forces of criminalising demonstrations and abusing human rights. It is increasingly looking like President Ruto is destined to be a one-term president if the anti-government sentiment is sustained and used to mobilise the youth to go and vote in the next presidential elections in two years. There have also been allegations that state security agents have abducted and tortured tens of young people around the country who have been using their social media profiles to lend support to the demonstrations. In a further display of its intolerance of the protests, the Kenyan government issued a chilling warning to media outlets against covering the protests. This was a brazen and blatant affront to constitutionally protected rights to freedom of speech and Kenyan youth are not just throwing a tantrum for the sake of it. They have a case. In a 2025 Afrobarometer survey, 62 per cent of those aged 18-35 years said they were not employed, with 19 per cent indicating that they had given up looking for work. With this age group making up 36 per cent of the population, such levels of discontent are a threat to national security. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading As a result, many of the young people are trapped in low-skill, low-pay and informal self-employed roles where they are struggling to survive. The World Bank estimates that there will be almost 23 million Kenyans aged 15-35 years by 2030. This presents a ticking time bomb if the government does not address the unemployment crisis with a sense of urgency. Almost 34 per cent of the population lives below the US$2.15 a day poverty line. With a Gini index of over 38 per cent, Kenya also struggles with high levels of unequal wealth and income distribution. It is a country of two worlds. The abject poverty at the bottom stands in stark contrast to opulence and massive wealth at the top. While Kenya's 23-member cabinet has a staggering per capita net worth of US$6.3 million, the country's GDP per capita is about US$2,000. As such, there exists a wide berth in terms of worldviews and interests between Kenya's governing class and the governed masses. According to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) of 2024, Kenya is the 121st least corrupt country out of 180 countries. Corruption has become ingrained in the public sector, where public officers engage in rampant rent-seeking while the political elite compete for fat government contracts. In a 2022 National Ethics and Corruption Survey, a shocking 64 per cent of the participants reported having paid a bribe for access to public services, including getting a business licence, healthcare or seeking police attention. Hence, reeking of corruption and incompetence, the Kenyan government is not fit for purpose. It is a little more than an instrument of primitive accumulation by the country's elite. Without substantive reforms, demonstrations and protests will only intensify. The last thing East Africa, and indeed the whole of Africa, needs is an unstable Kenya. It is important that the Kenyan leaders take the concerns and grievances of the youth seriously to avoid the horrors of political instability. * Dr. Sizo Nkala is a Research Fellow at the University of Johannesburg's Centre for Africa-China Studies. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.
IOL News
3 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Kenya's defiant youth committed to ousting impotent Ruto
Protesters chant anti-government slogans atop a vandalised car used as a barricade to block a road during Saba Saba Day demonstrations in Nairobi on July 7, 2025. Saba Saba Day marks the uprising on July 7, 1990 when Kenyans demanded a return to multi-party democracy after years of autocratic rule by then-president Daniel Arap Moi. Image: AFP Kim Heller President William Ruto is facing fierce scrutiny. Calls for the first citizen of Kenya to resign are mounting as rage simmers around the government's inability to fuel economic recovery and growth, corruption, and police brutality. Kenya is experiencing significant political turbulence. In June 2024, the youth of Kenya, worn down by poverty, joblessness, and ever-increasing living expenses, took to the streets in a show of wrath against the Finance Bill and the Ruto administration. The Bill proposed taxation on basic goods and would have placed an unbearably heavy economic burden on Kenya's most indigent citizens. At least sixty protestors were killed in the 2024 anti-taxation protests. This year, blood has continued to flow in the streets of Kenya. The anti-taxation protest has evolved into a mighty movement against the lacklustre economic performance of the Ruto administration, its unscrupulous and repressive state institutions, and its score of broken promises to revive youth employment and economic prospects. Since 25 June, forty-seven protestors have been killed by the police, and hundreds arrested. Muffling the cries of anguished young Kenyan protestors through state savagery is the mark of a government in the throes of illegitimacy. Public trust in Ruto's administration is plunging. Neo-liberal, anti-poor reforms and austerity measures, devised by the IMF and World Bank and poorly navigated by Ruto, have brought no relief or prospects for Kenya's young population. Kenya is the IMF's second-largest borrower, after Egypt. Its dependency on the IMF poses a perpetual threat to Kenya's sovereignty. Kenya's former Chief Justice, Willy Mutunga, has criticised Ruto's administration for placing foreign creditors ahead of local needs. Ruto's fiscal approach, bankrolled by foreign parties, is geared towards keeping bankruptcy at bay and tackling debt servicing and inflation control. However, it appears to be backfiring, as ordinary Kenyans, especially the youth, reject foreign intervention as an economic burden, worsening the economic decline and debt situation. For now, the Kenyan economy is dangerously weak. Deep-seated frustrations with the incumbent government have created an ever-present storm of discontent. It is in this political whirlwind that Ruto could be ousted by a hostile electorate in 2027. The political quick fix of co-opting Raila Odinga into the government has not tamed discontent. Nor does it offer economic cure or consolation. Despite parliamentary domination and somewhat feeble opposition, Ruto may fail to win a second Presidential term. His survival will hinge on his readiness to reconfigure the economy to serve the neediest, abandon anti-poor fiscal policies, and create much-needed jobs. If he fails to address allegations of government corruption and denounce police violence against citizens, Ruto will be a no-hoper in the upcoming game of thrones. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ In a television interview with Citizen TV Kenya this week, well-known exiled Kenyan political activist and constitutional lawyer, Dr. Miguna Miguna, spoke about how, through the ages, the youth are always the mortar of change. He commended the current generation of youth in Kenya for doing a "marvellous, historical job". President William Ruto pipes an altogether different tune. On 9 July 2025, the President of Kenya instructed police to shoot protesters who damage businesses in the leg to hinder them. His message was clear: "Kenya cannot and will not be ruled through threats, terror, or chaos. Not under my watch." In the recent protests, a pre-teen was killed by a stray bullet. Her death will forever be a sad reminder of a nation at war with itself. It is heartbreaking treachery by Ruto, who pledged to be the champion of the youth. The recent death of well-known blogger, Albert Ojwang, while he was in police custody, and the killing of an innocent street trader, Boniface Kariuki, by police during the July 2025 protests have exacerbated tensions. The centre is not holding. The people of Kenya are decisively turning against their President. Ruto's international friends are unlikely to lend a hand to save him. Left to fester, the pandemonium of protests could impair the 2027 election, further imperil job creation, and endanger international and regional trade. Ongoing protest action also poses a threat to regional stability, trade routes and economic cooperation. Kenya, once a beacon of resilience in East Africa, is fast becoming a trigger for political mobilisation and activism of and by the youth, inspiring the birth of regional movements. The grievances that fuel the protest must be addressed, but not through repressive mechanisms. The challenge for Ruto is to move Kenya from rupture to recalibration. The wise words of renowned Kenyan author, Ngugi wa Thiong'o ring true, "Our lives are a battlefield on which is fought a continuous war between the forces that are pledged to confirm our humanity and those determined to dismantle it; those who strive to build a protective wall around it, and those who wish to pull it down." The Ruto administration is unlikely to find its humanity and humility in the current battleground that is playing out in the streets of Kenya. The current administration is failing in its duty to protect its citizenry. For many decades, Dr Miguna has spoken of the need for a new constitutional order in Kenya and the creation of a democratic developmental state, founded on economic decolonisation. This would be a promised land for the economically dislodged and disempowered youth of Kenya. But such economic and political recalibration is unlikely to be part of the playbook of the Ruto regime. The very generation that Ruto promised to uplift out of poverty in his election campaign is the same generation that could well drive him out of the seat of power. That would be a touch of justice. * Kim Heller is a political analyst and author of No White Lies: Black Politics and White Power in South Africa. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.
Al Jazeera
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
At least 31 dead, 532 arrested in Kenya's antigovernment protests
The death toll from antigovernment protests in Kenya has surged to at least 31 people, the country's human rights commission said, with at least 107 others wounded during the nationwide marches. In a statement on Tuesday, the National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) also reported two forced disappearances in the wake of Monday's marches, which commemorated a 1990 uprising against undemocratic governance in the East African nation. The commission, which initially gave a toll of 10 dead and 29 wounded, said it has also counted at least 532 arrests. The marches saw clashes erupt between protesters and police in the capital, Nairobi, as well as the city of Eldoret, with the KNCHR accusing the police of cooperating with armed gangs, who were armed with machetes and spears, in the wake of the violence. There was widespread destruction of property, too, including supermarkets. The KNCHR said it 'strongly condemns all human rights violations and urges accountability from all responsible parties including police, civilians and all other stakeholders'. Monday's marches marked Saba Saba Day, meaning Seven Seven, which celebrates the date when Kenyans rose up to demand a return to multi-party democracy on July 7, 1990, after years of rule by then-President Daniel arap Moi. They came amid more than a year of mostly youth-led protests that have swept across Kenya since June 2024, when proposed tax rises triggered anger about wider issues, including the state of the economy, corruption and police brutality. Protesters have also been calling on President William Ruto to resign. Their actions have been met with harsh repression from the police. The Law Society of Kenya and Police Reforms Working Group said that 'heavily armed police with military grade weapons were deployed in violation of court orders, using masks and unmarked vehicles to conceal their identities'. Overall, the Police Reforms Working Group said that the protests on Monday took place in 20 of Kenya's 47 counties on Monday, including Nairobi, Kajiado, Nyeri, Mombasa, Kisii, Embu, Kisumu, Kiambu, Meru, Nakuru, Nyandarua, Vihiga, Narok, Kirinyaga, Uasin Gishu, Tharaka Nithi, Makueni, Laikipia and Kakamega. Tuesday's toll takes the number of people dead in the protests since they began last year to more than 100. This includes at least 16 people killed in nationwide rallies against police brutality and government corruption in Kenya, on June 25, less than two weeks ago. Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for the Interior Kipchumba Murkomen last week told police to 'shoot on sight' anyone who approaches police stations during protests after several were burned. The Kenya National Cohesion and Integration Commission, a government body whose commissioners are appointed by the president, on Tuesday urged politicians not to heighten ethnic tensions and criticised police for using excessive force towards protesters. In a statement issued before the revised death toll, the United Nations human rights office, OHCHR, expressed deep concern over the killings of protesters in Kenya on Monday. It said the deaths occurred 'amid reports that police and security forces used lethal force to quell violent demonstrations in Nairobi and across the country'.
France 24
08-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
At least 10 dead in Kenya during protests after heavy police deployment
The Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) also accused the police of cooperating with criminal gangs, as a heavy deployment of the security forces kept much of central Nairobi deserted ahead of the annual marches to mark Saba Saba Day. Meaning Seven Seven, the demonstrations commemorate July 7, 1990 when Kenyans rose up to demand a return to multi-party democracy after years of autocratic rule by then-president Daniel arap Moi. The KNCHR said in a statement it "had documented ten fatalities, twenty-nine injuries" across 17 counties, but did not provide any further details. A statement from the National Police Service (NPS) late Monday put the death toll at 11, with 52 police officers and 11 civilians wounded. From around midday, AFP saw running battles with groups of anti-riot police who fired teargas at small gatherings, with some of the crowd throwing rocks back and engaging in destructive looting. Young Kenyans, frustrated over economic stagnation, corruption and police brutality, are once again engaging in protests that last month degenerated into looting and violence, leaving dozens dead and thousands of businesses destroyed. Protesters accuse the authorities of paying armed vandals to discredit their movement, while the government has compared June's demonstrations to an "attempted coup". 'Hooded gangs' On Monday, the streets of central Nairobi were quiet after police mounted roadblocks on the main roads, restricting entry to areas that were the epicentre of previous rallies. Many businesses were closed for the day. "I have never witnessed the city centre like this," security guard Edmond Khayimba, 29, told AFP. While the centre remained deserted, groups gathered on the outskirts in the afternoon with AFP reporters witnessing two people wounded, as well as looting and vandalism. Protesters on a major highway clashed with police blocking their entry into the city, with the small crowds chanting: "Ruto Must Go", a popular rallying cry against President William Ruto, and "wantam", meaning "one term". Again, AFP saw looting and property destruction in the surrounding area. In its statement, the KNCHR noted the presence of "criminal gangs wielding crude weapons, including whips, wooden clubs, machetes, spears, bows and arrows" during the protests in a number of counties, including Nairobi, where "these hooded gangs were seen operating alongside police officers". In comments to AFP, NPS spokesperson Michael Muchiri said the KNCHR statements "may lack factualness many times over". The spokesperson also reiterated that the NPS "would never work alongside individuals called 'goons' or criminal elements", using the name used for the armed men paid to disrupt demonstrations. Muchiri said in a later statement that 567 people had been arrested during the protests, but did not provide any further details. Kipchumba Murkomen, the interior cabinet secretary, said recent demonstrations had "been infiltrated by criminals out to cause chaos and destruction". In a statement on X, he said the looting and violence had been "markedly reduced" by the officers' presence, but promised those responsible would be "investigated and charged". - 'Ruto Must Go' - Social media and rising economic expectations have fanned anger over inequalities in a country where around 80 percent are trapped in informal, poorly paid jobs. But a crackdown by the police -- at least 80 people have died in protests since June last year while dozens have been detained illegally -- has scared many off the streets. "What he has promised the country, (he) is not delivering," Onsomu said. Since being elected in 2022, Ruto has forged an uneasy alliance with the main opposition leader Raila Odinga, leaving no clear challenger ahead of the next vote in 2027. But each violent crackdown fuels further unrest, said activist Nerima Wako. "Every time people organise a protest, they kill more people, so it just continues to feed off itself," she said. The previous demonstration on June 25 -- intended to mark the peak of last year's deadly anti-government rallies -- turned violent and left 19 people dead, according to rights groups. © 2025 AFP
Daily Maverick
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Kenya police fire tear gas, water cannon on anniversary of pro-democracy protests
Activists rally every year on July 7 to mark the date in 1990 when opponents of then-president Daniel Arap Moi launched a bid to transform the country into a multiparty democracy. The protest is called 'Saba Saba' – 'seven seven' in Kiswahili – because of the date. Authorities have ramped up police deployments in Nairobi since youth-led protests in June 2024 that initially focused on tax hikes but expanded to cover issues such as graft, police brutality and unexplained disappearances of government critics. A Reuters witness saw police use tear gas and water cannon on Monday to disperse crowds along a key artery in Nairobi, as hundreds of demonstrators advanced, with some blowing whistles while they marched. Police had earlier blocked major roads leading into Nairobi and they heavily restricted vehicle traffic within the city, leaving streets deserted but for the demonstrators who turned up on foot. Most schools and at least one shopping mall were shut in anticipation of possible trouble. 'We are not ready to go back (home) because who will fight for our rights then? We will be here till evening,' Francis Waswa, a construction worker, told Reuters. 'HIGH ALERT' Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, who last month described the protests as 'terrorism disguised as dissent', said on his X account on Sunday that the government was committed to protecting life and property. 'Our security agencies are on high alert to deal decisively with criminals and other elements of ill intent who may seek to infiltrate peaceful processions to cause havoc, mayhem, or destruction of property,' he said. Unidentified people forced their way into the offices of the non-profit Kenya Human Rights Commission on Sunday to stop a press conference ahead of Monday's protests. At least one person, a board member, was injured, said Ernest Cornel, who works at the commission. Police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The death of Albert Ojwang, a teacher and blogger, in police custody in June gave fresh impetus to public government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported 19 deaths nationwide during demonstrations on June 25. Prosecutors approved murder charges against six people, including three police officers, over Ojwang's death. All six suspects pleaded not guilty.
