By Ebi Kesiena
On Friday, Kenya police fired tear-gas to disperse protesters marching against a new finance law that has doubled the fuel tax and introduced a housing levy for employees.
According to footage aired on the privately-owned television channel KTN News showed motorists scrambling to turn around on a tear-gas drenched street in the port city of Mombasa, as protesters fled on foot.
More tear-gas was fired in the capital Nairobi, the private Daily Nation newspaper reported, as police sought to break up protesters who had barricaded sections of two roads.
A coalition of human rights groups noted that police arrested 17 protesters in the capital Nairobi, including another 11 activists were arrested in other towns, the groups said.
“We witnessed protesters being dragged on the ground,” the group of 10 watchdogs said in a statement, calling for an investigation into police conduct during the protests.
As at the time of filing this report, there was no immediate comment by the police on the clash.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga called for the protests to oppose tax increases that were imposed despite a court-ordered suspension, and came at a time when many people were already struggling with persistently high prices of basic commodities such as maize flour.
Police had allowed the opposition’s main rally to go ahead, but warned against the destruction of properties and businesses. Shops and businesses were still open in Nairobi’s main central business district.
While President William Ruto’s government says the tax hikes, expected to raise an extra 200 billion shillings ($1.42 billion) a year, was needed to help deal with growing debt repayments, and fund job-creating initiatives.
The High Court suspended the implementation of the finance law last week but the government raised retail prices of petrol anyway, forcing the opposition senator who lodged the case to seek the jailing of the head of the energy sector regulator for contempt.
