Odinga's Azimio coalition blames the government for a cost-of-living crisis and accuses it of adding to Kenyans' misery by introducing hefty new taxes this year, but President William Ruto says the levies are necessary to help the debt-ridden country balance its books.
NAIROBI - Scenes of looting, closed stores, blocked roads -- the demonstrations organised by Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga since March threaten to make the East African nation's already fragile economic situation even worse.'WHAT'S BEHIND THE DEMONSTRATIONS?'
Police have fired tear gas and live rounds to disperse stone-throwing protesters, sparking outrage among rights campaigners. Ruto's predecessor and former boss Uhuru Kenyatta took out large loans to finance infrastructure projects, and the controversial new taxes imposed by the government are expected to bring in 289 billion shillings to supplement the 2023-24 budget of 3,600 billion shillings.Although the demonstrations have not been as bloody as previous political protests in Kenya, notably in 2017 and 2007-2008, they are having a bitter effect on the economy, experts say.
"I rely on carrying people who come to the offices, without that, I make close to zero shillings," motorcycle taxi driver Josphat Ng'atho told AFP.
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