Kenyan President Deploys Army to Halt ‘Treasonous’ Protests
- Protests have led to the deaths of at least 17 people
- Ruto is seeking to raise taxes to boost revenue collection
Kenyan President William Ruto slammed the nationwide anti-government protests that have left a least 17 people dead amid a brutal police crackdown, calling it “treasonous” and deployed the military to end the agitation.
The demonstrations were sparked by Ruto’s plan to push through a raft of unpopular taxes to generate an additional 302 billion shillings ($2.3 billion) in the budget year that begins on July 1. Protesters are demanding that lawmakers — who passed the bill on Tuesday after dropping some of the more contentious levies such as a 16% tax on bread — scrap the entire plan.