Kenya’s president came to power by appealing to the common people, describing himself as a “hustler” and vowing relief from economic pain
Protesters hide behind a banner as police fire teargas at them during a protest over proposed tax hikes in a finance bill in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
KAMPALA, Uganda — Kenya’s president came to power by appealing to the common people, describing himself as a “hustler” and vowing relief from economic pain. But Tuesday’s deadly chaos in the capital, Nairobi, shows how far support for him has turned.
Part of parliament burned as protesters rushed in and lawmakers fled. Bodies lay in the streets, and medical workers and watchdogs said police had opened fire. The military was deployed. A youth-led movement had warned the government of President William Ruto against passing a finance bill they said would add to Kenyans’ economic troubles. Lawmakers passed it anyway. Ruto is expected to sign it, even as religious leaders called it “unwarranted.”
