Kenya Protests Erupt: Chaos Over Tax Hike Bill Unleashed

NAIROBI, Kenya: Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, is a vortex of fury today, May 31, 2025, as thousands flood the streets, clashing with police in a raw, explosive standoff. Protests ignited weeks ago over a controversial finance bill, packed with tax hikes, and the rage hasn’t cooled. On June 25, 2024, the crisis hit a deadly peak when demonstrators stormed parliament, setting parts ablaze. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reports a grim toll: over 50 dead since mid-June, with 22 killed in a single day of chaos on June 25, as police fired live rounds. Witnesses reported bodies strewn across Nairobi’s streets, a haunting snapshot of a nation on edge.

The Spark: A Tax Bill That Stings

The Finance Bill 2024, introduced in May 2024, aimed to raise $2.7 billion to ease Kenya’s crushing $82 billion debt, with interest gobbling 37% of annual revenue. Initial proposals slapped a 16% VAT on bread, a 25% duty on cooking oil, and a 2.5% motor vehicle tax—moves critics slammed as a gut punch to Kenyans already reeling from soaring food and fuel costs. The government, led by President William Ruto, bent under pressure, axing taxes on bread, oil, and cars by June 18, 2024, per a presidency statement. But the fury lingers. A higher import tax, jumping from 2.5% to 3%, still looms, threatening pricier goods.

The Finance Bill 2024 isn’t just another tax adjustment—it’s a financial grenade lobbed at Kenya’s working class:

• 16% VAT on bread (previously zero-rated)

• 25% excise duty on mobile money transfers (used by 80% of Kenyans for daily transactions)

• Fuel levy hike (gas prices up 8% overnight)

• New “eco-tax” on diapers, sanitary pads, and textbooks

June 25: Parliament Breached, Flames Rise

The ultimate shock came on June 25, 2024. After lawmakers passed the bill in a third reading, protesters, mostly young Gen Z firebrands, surged past police lines in Nairobi. They smashed into parliament, torched sections, and stole the ceremonial mace, a symbol of legislative power, according to CNN affiliate NTV Kenya. Police unleashed tear gas, water cannons, and live ammo. The Kenya Human Rights Commission tallied 23 killed nationwide that day, with over 300 injured and 50 arrested. “I saw bodies on the ground, blood everywhere,” a witness told BBC News, capturing the brutal scene.

Ruto Backs Down—But Too Late?

President Ruto, in a televised address on June 26, 2024, caved: “I concede and will not sign the bill.” He withdrew the Finance Bill 2024, citing “widespread dissatisfaction” and the tragic loss of life, as reported by NPR. Yet, the retreat hasn’t doused the flames. On June 27, 2024, protesters hit Nairobi again, shifting focus to the State House, Ruto’s residence, under tight police and military watch, per CBS News. Young voices, fueled by TikTok and X, chant for Ruto’s resignation, raging against a government they call corrupt and deaf to their pleas.

A Youth-Led Revolt: Gen Z Takes Charge

This isn’t politics as usual. Kenya’s youth, self-dubbed “Generation Z,” drive this uprising, organizing via social media with hashtags like #RejectFinance2024. Unlike 2023’s opposition-led tax protests, this wave spans 43 of 47 counties, even Ruto’s strongholds like Kirinyaga and Meru, notes ACLED. “Our voice must be heard,” 23-year-old Maureen Awuor told BBC News on June 25, 2024. No ethnic or party lines bind them—just raw anger at taxes with little return in roads, schools, or clinics.

Police Crackdown: A Bloody Response

The cost is steep. Since June 18, 2024, protests turned deadly, with police firing live bullets in Nairobi, Eldoret, Mombasa, and beyond. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights counts over 50 deaths by May 31, 2025, with accusations of brutality flying. Amnesty International, in a June 25, 2024, statement, pinned blame on Ruto: “The responsibility for the deaths lies squarely with the president.” At least 12 activists were abducted before the parliament breach, per the Police Reforms Working Group Kenya, with dozens more nabbed since, reports The New York Times.

Concessions Fail to Calm the Storm

The government scrambled early. On June 18, 2024, the presidency announced amendments, dropping VAT on bread, sugar, transport, and financial transactions, per Al Jazeera. An “eco levy” on plastics like diapers and sanitary towels shifted to imports only, said finance committee chair Kuria Kimani. But protesters demand the bill’s total scrapping, calling leftover measures, like a 5% hike on digital payments, a burden in a mobile-money nation.

Global Eyes Watch: Alarm and Calls for Calm

The world’s on alert. On June 25, 2024, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged restraint, saying via spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, “The rights to demonstrate peacefully must be upheld.” A joint statement from Britain, the U.S., Germany, and others decried violence outside parliament and alleged abductions, per the British High Commission’s Facebook post. The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi warned citizens to stay vigilant, noting protests can “turn violent” fast, per a June 20, 2024, alert.

What It Means Now: Debt, Trust, and a Nation at Risk

Kenya’s debt crisis fuels this fire. Interest payments devour nearly 40% of revenue, per AP News, and the IMF backs reforms to curb borrowing. Ruto’s June 26, 2024, withdrawal leaves a $1.56 billion budget hole, the finance ministry warns, forcing cuts or new taxes elsewhere. Trust’s shattered—youth see Ruto, elected in 2022 on “hustler” promises, as betraying them. Protests roll on, with calls for his exit growing, per Al Jazeera. Violence risks more lives, and abductions stoke fear. Can Ruto rebuild the “fiscal social contract,” as The Conversation calls it, where taxes fund real services? The path’s unclear, and Kenya teeters.

A History of Tax Rage: 2023 Echoes

This isn’t new. In 2023, Ruto’s first budget doubled fuel VAT to 16% and added a 1.5% housing tax, sparking protests, per Al Jazeera. Opposition leader Raila Odinga, sidelined this time, backed 2023 marches but stayed out in 2024, praising youth on X: “Well done to all who bravely stood up!” The 2024 bill, passed June 25, 2024, fanned flames higher, with broader, nonpartisan fury, notes The Economist.

August Twist: Taxes Creep Back

By August 19, 2024, a twist: new Finance Minister John Mbadi revealed plans to revive some axed taxes via a tax amendment bill, per AP News. An eco levy on non-green goods like diapers looms, despite past outcry. “This country is not a dumping place,” Mbadi told local media. Protesters, already bloodied, vow more marches, says the youth-led movement. Opposition lawmaker Robert Mbui blasted it as a “mistake” on TV, accusing of double-speak.

Voices from the Ground: Pain and Defiance

“We’re taxed to death, and where’s the gain?” a Nairobi protester told Reuters on June 25, 2024. Women feel the sting—65% can’t afford sanitary towels, Effie Muendo told VOA News on June 20, 2024, slamming new levies. “We are not scared, we are many,” Ms. Indimuli said to BBC News, vowing a revolution. Auma Obama, half-sister of Barack Obama, was tear-gassed mid-CNN interview on June 25, 2024, a stark image of the crackdown.

The Road Ahead: Strike Looms

A nationwide strike loomed on June 25, 2024, dubbed a “total shutdown” under the “7 Days of Rage” banner, per Al Jazeera. Protesters demand the bill’s end and Ruto’s resignation. The government warns against violence, setting a 6:30 p.m. curfew, but critics blame police for the bloodshed so far. With 210 arrested by June 18, 2024, including journalists, per civil society groups, and internet disruptions noted by Netblocks, tension’s thick. Will Kenya bend or break? Stay sharp with Ongoing Now 24.