Police tear-gas Kenyans protesting hike in fuel tax
The Kenyan police force Tuesday fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters protesting a planned finance bill that will raise fuel and housing taxes.
According to Voice of America VOA, the police fired tear gas to disperse roughly 500 demonstrators who marched to Parliament to present a petition against the law.
The report also quoted a Reuters witness saying that police also detained eleven demonstrators.
President William Ruto rode to power on the promise of reducing the country’s mounting debt, with multilateral debt increasing from $13.7 billion in 2020 to $17.9 billion in 2022.
Due to the financial issue, the government reportedly delayed public servants’ salaries in the past months.
However, government officials and political opponents have slammed his idea, arguing that the cost of living is already too high.
The opposition Azimio Umoja (Declaration of Unity) party has spearheaded protests against the government since March over the high cost of living and suspected election fraud.
Labour unions, including one representing health workers, also protested against the bill last week.
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