Kenya’s Ruto ready to ‘converse’ with protesters

Kenya’s President William Ruto said on Sunday he was ready for “a conversation” with thousands of young “peaceful” anti-tax protesters, sparking new calls from movement organizers to accept their demand to cancel the direct debits.

Organized on social media and led largely by Generation Z Kenyans who livestreamed the protests, the protests by thousands have taken Ruto’s government by surprise, as discontent mounts with its economic policy.

“I am very proud of our young people… they came out peacefully and I want to tell them that we are going to involve them,” Ruto said in his first public comments on the protests.

“We are going to have a conversation so that together we can build a greater nation,” Ruto said during a church service in Nyahururu, in the Rift Valley.

He described the protests as “peaceful” after human rights activists reported two deaths following Thursday’s demonstrations in Nairobi.

A protest organizer, Hanifa Adan, who told AFP she was in hiding to avoid arrest, said Ruto must “respond publicly” to demands to reverse the proposed hikes.

“President Ruto cannot pretend to support us while his police brutalize peaceful protesters,” she said.

“We have moved beyond talking and will not be silenced. We demand an end to police brutality, respect for our constitutional rights and the freedom to express ourselves without fear of arrest or harm.”

Amnesty International Kenya said on Sunday that “over the past 72 hours, protest organizers, content creators, doctors and protesters have been profiled, kidnapped and detained in violation of our laws.”

The rights watchdog did not provide details on the number of detainees and police had no immediate comment.

– Two deaths –

Thursday’s protests were mostly peaceful, but police fired tear gas and water cannons throughout the day to disperse demonstrators near Parliament.

An official from the Kenyan Human Rights Commission told AFP on Saturday that Evans Kiratu, 21, had been “hit by a tear gas canister” during the protests and died in hospital.

On Friday, a police watchdog said it was investigating allegations that a 29-year-old man was shot dead by police officers in Nairobi after the protests.

The Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) said on Thursday it had “documented the death…allegedly due to police shooting”.

Several organizations, including Amnesty International Kenya, said at least 200 people were injured during protests in Nairobi, as thousands took to the streets across the country.

Protesters have called for a national strike on Tuesday.

– A cash-strapped government –

After small protests in Nairobi last Tuesday, the cash-strapped government agreed to cancel several tax increases planned in a new bill.

But Ruto’s administration still intends to raise some taxes, believing they are necessary to fill state coffers and reduce dependence on external borrowing.

Kenya has a huge debt mountain whose servicing costs have exploded due to the fall in the value of the local currency over the past two years, making interest payments on foreign currency loans more expensive.

Tax hikes will put more pressure on Kenyans facing the rising cost of living as well-paid jobs remain out of reach for young people.

Ruto said on Sunday the annual budget included measures to tackle youth unemployment and improve access to tertiary education.

After the government agreed to remove levies on the purchase of bread, car ownership and financial and mobile services, the Treasury warned of a budget deficit of 200 billion shillings ($1.56 billion ).

The government is now targeting higher fuel prices and export taxes to fill the gap left by the changes, a move that critics say will make life more expensive in a country already struggling with high inflation.

Kenya has one of the fastest growing economies in East Africa, but a third of its 51.5 million people live in poverty.

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