At least one person was killed in renewed anti-government protests across Kenya on Tuesday as police clashed with demonstrators demanding that President William Ruto step down.
Youth-led protests that broke out a month ago against proposed tax hikes have continued even after Ruto withdrew the legislation and fired almost all of his cabinet.
Activists said they want Ruto to resign and are calling for systemic changes to clean up corruption and address poor governance.
At least 50 people have been killed in the protests to date, the government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said on Tuesday.
In Kitengela, a town on the southern outskirts of the capital Nairobi, police fired repeatedly in the direction of hundreds of protesters, some of whom were throwing rocks, Reuters TV footage showed.
The protesters also burned tyres, waved Kenyan flags and chanted “Ruto must go!”
A Reuters reporter saw the body of one protester lying on the ground with blood oozing from a head wound.
The national police spokesperson declined to comment.
In a statement, the interior ministry did not directly address events on Tuesday but said security agencies were under instructions to exercise restraint.
The demonstrations on Tuesday appeared to be some of the biggest since Ruto withdrew the tax increases on June 26. The Nation newspaper reported protests in at least 23 of Kenya’s 47 counties.
In Nairobi’s city centre, riot police fired tear gas at several dozen protesters and medics were seen carrying away an injured person on a stretcher.
In Nakuru, a journalist was injured, with television footage showing her bleeding from her thigh.
Njeri Wa Migwi, an activist who was protesting in downtown Nairobi, said the demonstration was entirely peaceful until police started firing tear gas.
“Today feels very insidious. It was like the police were out to get us,” she said.
The protests have created the biggest crisis of Ruto’s two years in power. With Kenya spending over 30% of its revenues just paying the interest bills on its debt, he has been caught between the demands of lenders to cut deficits and a hard-pressed population reeling from rising living costs.
“Ruto is very incompetent,” said one protester in Nairobi who did not give his name. “The guy is a puppet to the IMF.”
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been a major target of the ire of young Kenyan protesters, who have accused it of being the driving force behind the proposed tax hikes.
