CS Duale Deploys KDF to Assist Police Over Protests

The military was Tuesday evening deployed to help police in containing protests that broke out in opposing the proposed taxes.

Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale made the announcement on the decision to deploy the military citing the constitution.

This was after police shot at least ten people outside Parliament Building and near Kencom area as a crowd marched to oppose the taxes.

Duale said pursuant to Article 241 (3) (b) of the Constitution of Kenya as read with sections 31 (1) (a), 31 (1) (c) , 33 (1), 34 (1) and 34 (2) of the

Kenya Defence Forces Act, (Cap. 199), the Kenya Defence Forces is deployed on the 25th June, 2024 in support of the National Police Service in response to the security emergency caused by the ongoing violent protests in various parts of the Republic of Kenya resulting in destruction and breaching of critical infrastructure.

The move was questioned given Parliament did not approve the deployment.

President William Ruto called an emergency security meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the crisis caused on Tuesday, which was seen as historic.

He was set to address a press conference on Tuesday night.

Police had clashed with the protesters outside Parliament along Parliament Road where at least four people. Three more were shot dead along City Hall Way and one in Parliament compound.

Officials at the City Mortuary said they had received at least ten bodies and were expecting more.

Parts of the city centre turned chaotic as mobs went on a looting spree out of anger of the shooting of the fellow protesters.

Supermarkets, mobile phone shops, clothes and shoe shops were broken into and looted for the better part of the afternoon in the chaos.

Police had contained the groups as Members of Parliament debated the bill.

When news broke out that the MPs had pushed through the bill in record two hours, the groups became more violent and overwhelmed the anti riot police who had also become fatigued.

The mob broke down a perimeter wall near the mausoleum and breached into Parliament Buildings.

Some of them went to the main chambers of both Houses and vandalized property.

They ate food that had been prepared for MPS as others stole property including the mace.

MPs and staff were evacuated by security through a tunnel there for their safety.

Others used ambulances to escape the parliament square in fear for their lives.

More police officers were deployed to drive the group out of the building.

It was then that three lorries of military arrived to reinforce the fatigued police officers.

The anti riot officers kept pushing the protesters According to Amnesty International Kenya, hundreds of protesters broke through police barriers outside parliament in Nairobi, with police firing live rounds and injuring “many” people.

A section of parliament that houses offices was also set on fire as protesters stormed the buildings, accompanied by heavy gunfire from police officers battling the defiant mob.

The exact number of those shot dead was not immediately ascertained.

Protesters who have rallied against the contentious have been picketing for the past week, arguing that if passed, the Bill will burden an already burdened population.

Parliament was literally barricaded ahead of the debate and voting on the proposal to increase taxes.

The mainly Gen-Z-led demonstrations have taken the government by surprise, with President William Ruto saying over the weekend that he was ready to speak with the protesters.

Discontent over the already high cost of living spiralled into nationwide rallies last week, sparked by the Ruto administration’s proposed tax hikes in the annual finance bill, which parliament must vote on by June 30.

The protests were mostly peaceful, as Ruto noted Sunday in his first public comments on the demonstrations.

Rights watchdogs have accused the authorities of abducting protesters in violation of the law.

“These abductions are intended to intimidate protesters planning to attend future peaceful demonstrations aimed at pressuring MPs to reject the bill,” the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) said Monday.

“These abductions, mostly occurring at night, are conducted by police officers in civilian clothes and unmarked cars,” KHRC added, calling for the “unconditional release of all abductees.”

The police have not responded to requests for comment on the allegations.

In addition to a strong social media campaign and street rallies, the protesters have deployed unconventional tactics, including asking bars to stop playing music at midnight on the weekend as partygoers burst into chants saying: “Ruto must go” and “Reject finance bill.”