Massive demonstrations are taking place all over the East African nation of Kenya. They mark the first anniversary of the storming of the parliament building, in the capital, Nairobi.
On June 25, 2024, hundreds of young Kenyans breached the parliament complex. They set fire to parts of the building in an act of defiance. The targets of their ire were the Kenyan police, and President William Ruto.
Last year’s protests were sparked by the annual budget put forth by Ruto. In Kenya, it’s called a Finance Bill. The Finance Bill 2024 initially included sharp tax hikes, despite the fact that the Kenyan economy was struggling. This outraged the people of Kenya, especially young people. They held peaceful protests to force Ruto to rescind his Finance Bill. But they were met with deadly force by the Kenyan police
Over 60 Kenyan protesters were killed in the clashes. Dozens more were “disappeared”. This led to an outpouring of public anger against police brutality, resulting in violent demonstrations, and culminating in the storming of parliament. Ruto was forced to take back his Finance Bill to quell public anger. The protests began winding up after that. But the anger against state repression has persisted.
It erupted again earlier this month, because of the death of a teacher in police custody. 31-year-old Albert Ojwang was arrested on June 6 for a blog post critical of a senior police official. He was picked up from the town of Homa Bay in western Kenya. He was taken 350 kilometres away to Nairobi, and he was found dead on June 8.
The Kenyan police initially claimed that he died due to “self-inflicted” injuries, but then an autopsy revealed the truth. Albert Ojwang’s killing in police custody is what has sparked the latest round of demonstrations in Kenya. People are protesting against police brutality.
But the police heavy-handedness has continued, with incidents like the shooting of Boniface Kariuki, a 22-year-old street vendor. He was shot in the head at point-blank range during one of the recent protests. The police officers responsible have been detained and are facing legal proceedings. But there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight to the systemic police brutality. On the contrary, the police have been assured that they have the state’s backing.
Today’s memorial rally, to mark one year of the parliament storming, is taking place amid this backdrop. Will the people of Kenya manage to get the accountability and justice they demand?
