Kenyan President William Ruto has caused an outcry after ordering police to shoot demonstrators in the leg instead of killing them, after several weeks of anti-government protests have claimed dozens of lives.
Addressing people in Nairobi, Ruto remarked that demonstrators who target businesses and security agents should be injured and sent “to hospital en route to court,” a sharp rhetorical increase. He described the protests as a “war on the state” and blamed political opponents of instigating the protests.
“Those who are attacking police or security facilities are issuing a declaration of war that is terrorism,” Ruto said. “We will respond to you tough.
The demonstrations, which started in June 2023 over planned tax increases, have turned into a wider campaign calling for political change and Ruto’s resignation. Monday saw 31 persons killed and more than 100 wounded, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported, on Saba Saba commemorations a symbolic day of democratic defiance.
UNICEF decried the murder of a 12-year-old girl in Kiambu County and denounced arrests of children amid the demonstrations.
Even with the pullout of the controversial finance bill and cabinet reshuffle, public outrage persists, driven by acts of police brutality, kidnappings, and extrajudicial executions.
Opposition leaders, such as Ruto’s former ally Rigathi Gachagua, have dismissed claims of plotting against the government but called for boycotts of regime-connected businesses.
The UN, as well as international observers, has condemned the government’s use of force, noting that deadly means should be applied only to avert actual risk to life.
Ruto, who won elections with vows of economic recovery, is now under mounting pressure from angry and politically awakened youth clamoring for substantial change in leadership.
