Kenyan activists on Friday circulated calls for new protests, strikes and sit-ins, following demonstrations across the country that forced the government of President William Ruto to back down from a draft law to increase taxes.
On Wednesday, Ruto withdrew the bill and said he would listen to the opinions of young people, a day after demonstrators briefly stormed Parliament and set fire to one of its buildings.
At least 23 people were killed in clashes with police.
At least two other people were killed and seven were injured by gunshots during smaller protests in several towns and large cities on Thursday, and the army deployed its forces to assist the police.
For some protesters, Ruto’s retreat came too late. A post that was widely circulated on the Internet, today, Friday, called for a seven-day movement that includes nationwide strikes and the closure of major roads on the second and fourth of next July.
Ruto faces the gravest threat of his two-year presidency as a youth-led protest movement escalates in less than two weeks from online criticism of tax hikes to mass marches.
Instead of raising taxes, Ruto on Friday ordered the government to look at ways to cut spending by 346 billion Kenyan shillings ($2.69 billion).
He also directed Treasury Department officials to ensure that only necessary and essential services are funded by spending a maximum of 15 percent of the budget until a supplementary budget is approved.
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