Tear Gas and Rubber Bullets Against Demonstrators – Again

Police confront demonstrators in Kenya's capital Nairobi with tear gas and rubber bullets, reports AFP. The protests are taking place despite President William Ruto's promise to withdraw the tax increase that caused the discontent.

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Tear Gas and Rubber Bullets Against Demonstrators – Again
Photo: Brian Inganga/AP/TT

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Police confront demonstrators in Kenya's capital Nairobi with tear gas and rubber bullets, reports AFP.

The protests are being carried out despite President William Ruto's promise to withdraw the tax increase that caused the discontent.

On Wednesday evening, William Ruto announced that he would not sign the disputed bill on tax increase and that it "will consequently be withdrawn".

The people have spoken, he said.

The statement was a major turnaround from his speech on Tuesday evening when he described some of the demonstrators as "criminals".

But the protests continue on Thursday, albeit on a smaller scale. The police have, according to AFP journalists on the spot, used tear gas and fired rubber bullets at groups of demonstrators in Nairobi's central business district.

"He must leave"

Roads leading to important government buildings, including the parliament, have been blocked by police in riot gear.

Cephas, a 24-year-old student who only gave his first name, told AFP that Ruto's decision came too late and that many no longer trust him:

It's not about the bill, but about him. We want him to leave his post.

He added that many demonstrators have chosen not to show up on Thursday "because they fear for their lives".

Unrest in several cities

Unrest with hundreds of demonstrators is also reported from the cities of Mombasa, Migori and Kisumu.

On Tuesday, at least 22 people were killed in connection with widespread protests in the country, according to information from the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). 19 of them were killed in Nairobi, where several thousand people, among other things, broke through police barricades and into the parliament building, which was set on fire. The military was deployed to help the police handle the situation. Live ammunition was fired at the crowd.

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