Rebellion in Kenya
Featured image: Kenyan demonstrators struggling against the police in Nairobi. Source: NewsWireNGR.
On Tuesday 18th of June big protests erupted in Kenya which brought thousands of Kenyans to take the streets, and there were also hard clashes with police, specially at the capital, Nairobi, but also expanded all over the country. The protests are against the new economical measures of the government lead by William Ruto. Such measure have been dictated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), economic tool of Yankee imperialism. Moreover, these protests are in a framework of hard economic conditions for the Kenyan people, who is witnessing more and more attacks against it. This kind of hard anti-popular measures were already enacted by the government and strongly rejected by the people, when last year Ruto, following IMF’s directives, approved new taxes on housing and fuel which severely affected the people. On this occasion he wanted to apply new taxes or new increases of these taxes on numerous products which the Kenyan people needs to feed itself, and also to health insurances, housing, fuel, etc.
As it has happened last year, the anti-popular Ruto’s regime has deployed a huge repression against the people, and local organizations evaluated some days ago that around 400 people have been arrested, and therefore, most likely the figures are even bigger now. There are also hundreds of injured and two young Kenyans have been murdered by police brutality. After the murder of one of them, an “investigation” began on Kenyan police for excess of violence, but few days after, the second protester was murdered. Ruto has mocked on the people and the violence, showing the few respect he has for the people and the null importance he gives to these “investigations”, as after the second murder, he ‘praised’ the demonstrators for their peaceful attitude, instead of condemn or stop the repressive acts. This makes even more criminal what happened because his government is detaining and injuring hundreds of people and even murdering them, shooting with live rounds, just for carrying out protests, most of them peaceful.
The protests of the Kenyan people has driven Ruto to withdraw some of the proposed measures, such as the 16 per cent VAT to bread, as well the taxes on motor vehicles, on cooking oil or on the money transference by mobile phone. Additionally to this withdrawn of some measures, Ruto has called the representatives of the demonstrators to a conversations with him. This shows the government will not be able to enact so easily such anti-popular measures.
Kenya shows the worst aspects of imperialism and the bureaucratic capitalism developed in oppressed countries: despite being one of the most economically ‘dynamic’ countries in Africa and been praised by its stability, millions of its population is sunk in poverty, and even when there are foresights of economic growth, the people has to face severe anti-popular attacks. The supposed ‘stability’ is achieved through brutal repression against every protest carried out by the people. But the truth is, that year after year, protests erupt and even if the State is unleashing more and more repression on the masses, these ones are taking the streets again with more strength, without fear, and provoking it to imperialism and its lackeys.
