아프리카ㆍ중동

Kenya is currently being rocked by protests that represent a significant challenge to President William Ruto’s presidency and the resilience of Kenya’s democratic institutions. A month after President Ruto’s historic relations-building state visit to the United States, peaceful youth-led protests in Kenya over a contentious tax bill have turned deadly. On June 25, the parliament and city hall stood ablaze in the capital, Nairobi, after members of parliament moved the highly controversial bill to its final stage—signing by the president. Kenya is experiencing an unemployment rate of 12 percent, with youth making up 68 percent of those unemployed, and a cost-of-living crisis incited by high inflation rates. The proposed taxes repeat a pattern of elected officials positing that raising taxes will improve Kenya’s debt crisis, while their constituents instead feel punished. Such policies don’t favor the young, who make up 75 percent of the population, according to the 2019 census. The movement #RejectFinanceBill2024 on Instagram, TikTok, and X has helped to mobilize a series of peaceful protests in Nairobi. Young Kenyans are eager to participate in ensuring Kenya’s economic growth. However, the sentiment remains that the policies in question do not fulfill timeworn promises to cut government spending and ease the cost of living.