Kenyan Police Fire Tear Gas at Protesters Demanding President Ruto's Resignation

In Summary

• Police in Kenya used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters demanding President William Ruto's resignation.
• Protests erupted over government-planned tax hikes, leading to widespread unrest since mid-June.
• Demonstrators called for sweeping reforms and expressed frustration over stagnating wages and corruption.
• Despite Ruto scrapping the tax hikes and dismissing most of his cabinet, protests continue, with activists rejecting his dialogue invitations.
• The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported over 50 deaths, numerous abductions, and arbitrary arrests during the protests.

Nairobi, Kenya - Kenyan police fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse anti-government protesters demanding the resignation of President William Ruto. Tuesday's demonstrations, stretching from Nairobi to the coastal town of Mombasa, marked the latest unrest since planned tax hikes sparked mass anger in mid-June.

Al Jazeera's Malcolm Webb, reporting from Nairobi, described a chaotic scene with police firing tear gas "all day long" and streets littered with empty canisters. "Some of the demonstrators are calling for Ruto to go. Many are saying they need sweeping reforms," Webb noted.

In Kitengala, about 200 protesters burned tires and chanted "Ruto must go." One person was killed, according to a witness quoted by Reuters. In Mombasa, more protesters marched waving palm fronds, as shown in footage from Kenyan media.

Kenyan activists had threatened a "total shutdown" of the country on Tuesday, unmoved by Ruto's concession to drop the $2.7bn tax hikes. The protests, initially peaceful, quickly spiraled into violence, with some demonstrators briefly storming parliament and police opening fire.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported that over 50 people were killed during the protests, with police accused of excessive force. Another 59 people have been abducted or are missing, and 628 others were arbitrarily arrested, the commission said.

In response to the unrest, Ruto scrapped the planned tax increase on June 26, dismissed most of his cabinet, and announced "multi-sectoral" talks to address protesters' grievances. However, leading activists rejected Ruto's invitation to dialogue, demanding immediate action on issues like corruption.

Stella Agara, a Nairobi-based security analyst, told Al Jazeera that protests would intensify as long as Ruto ignored the demonstrators' grievances. "Since the beginning of the protests, these have been blamed on the opposition, on the former president, on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, and even on the Ford Foundation," Agara said.

On Monday, Ruto accused the Ford Foundation of sponsoring the protests, a claim the American philanthropic organization denied, stating it does not fund or sponsor protests and maintains a strictly non-partisan policy.

"The message that Ruto is sending Kenyans is that he doesn’t hear them, he doesn’t see them, and this is not going to go down well," Agara concluded.