Report: Some Police Officers Starved During Anti-Finance Bill Protests

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has revealed that some police officers were deprived of food and water during the anti-finance bill protests that began in June 2024.

The protests, sparked by public discontent over tax hikes, spread across various counties and continued into August.

In its report titled Monitoring Report on Policing of the Protests Held in Various Counties on Diverse Dates in June, July & August 2024, IPOA stated that it had deployed officers to monitor police conduct in major towns.

The report highlighted challenges faced by the police, with some officers lacking basic provisions like food and water.

“Not all police had water and food,” the report stated, adding that officers worked long hours, with some protests continuing late into the night.

The report also pointed out that in some instances, police refused to accept protest notices from organizers.

According to IPOA, some station commanders declined to receive the notifications, which are required under the law. This led to protests being dispersed on the grounds of lacking formal notice.

“There were allegations of station commanders refusing to receive protest notifications from the organizers. Lack of a formal notice was used as a justification for dispersing the protests. Section 5 (2) is silent on what protest organizers are supposed to do when the regulating officers decline to receive their notices,” the report noted.

The protests were driven by widespread anger over tax increases introduced by the government to address the country’s growing public debt, which stands at approximately Sh10 trillion, nearly 70% of Kenya’s gross domestic product (GDP). Lobby groups claimed that over 39 people lost their lives during the demonstrations.

The Kenyan government, under pressure to manage its debt, had argued that the tax hikes were essential to service the massive public debt. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had also urged Kenya to implement fiscal reforms to access critical funding.

President William Ruto initially rolled back some tax measures in response to the protests. However, this led to warnings of a budget shortfall of Sh200 billion from the Treasury. The situation escalated when protesters stormed parliament and set part of the building on fire, prompting Ruto to reject the finance bill and later dismiss his cabinet.