Kenya is Anticipating new protests on Monday due to the high cost of living. The opposition leader carries out the protests despite a police ban against the demonstrations.
Raila Odinga, the opposition leader, has urged people to take to several streets in Kenya every Monday and Thursday, even though the protests last week became violent and led to the closing down of some areas in Nairobi.
However, On Sunday, the police authorities declared that the protests would be banned. According to Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome, the police won’t permit the protests from Monday onwards. The protests that the opposition leader planned to execute are illegal and would not be allowed by the police authorities.
During the violence at the protest on the previous Monday, a university student was killed by police fire, and 31 officers were hurt as running battles broke out between police and protesters in Nairobi.
At the same time as protestors, including Odinga’s personal convoy, were being attacked with tear gas and water cannons, more than 200 individuals were arrested. The arrested members include some prominent opposition lawmakers.
It was the first significant outbreak of political disturbance since President William Ruto assumed power more than six months ago after defeating Odinga in an election.
Odinga urged the Kenyans to participate in what he called the mother of demonstrations, irrespective of the police order. Odinga argued that their protests couldn’t be stopped by either Mr. Ruto or IG Koome; he added that they are not afraid of the police or the tear gas.
According to Odinga, they will continue the battle until they see results. In the process, they won’t fear anything that comes across.
The President of Kenya, William Ruto, ordered his opposition leader to halt his actions and stop the violence he has been conducting for weeks now. Ruto said that if Odinga has any problem with him, he should face him and stop terrorizing the nation.
President Ruto asked Oding to stop paralyzing the businesses in the nation, referring to the women stallholders and private minibus operators in the nation.
On Monday, President Ruto will go on a four-day trip to Germany and Belgium, where he will meet with national EU leaders.
Many Kenyans are struggling to survive each day in the nation due to high prices for necessities, a decline in the national currency, and a record famine that has left millions of people without enough to eat.
Ruto presented himself as the champion of the oppressed throughout the election campaign and promised to improve the situation of regular Kenyans. But after came into being as the president of the nation, he stopped providing subsidies for food staples like maize flour and fuel.
In addition, Kenya’s energy regulator said last week the electricity prices would increase starting in February, despite Rusto’s assurance in January that there would be no such increase.
According to the governor of Nairobi, Johnson Sakaja, the protests last week were expensive for Nairobi, which saw a loss of more than half its daily revenue as shops closed and residents avoided the city center.
According to Vice President Rigathi Gachangua, the protestors cost $15 million to the nation. They have made a loss of $15 million in revenue due to the protests last week.
The police announced on Friday that they had started looking for culprits in last week’s rioting and released images of people throwing rocks at officers, setting tires on fire, and damaging property.
Kenya is a political and economic powerhouse in East Africa and has recently witnessed several infrastructural projects, but the problems are getting worse day by day. According to the reports from the government, inflation reached 9.2% in February.
Millions of people in the area lack food and resources due to the record drought in the nation. It is expected that the approaching rainy season will mark the sixth year in a row of water shortages.
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According to Oxford Economics Africa, the value of the nation’s currency, the Kenyan Shilling, has reached an all-time low after losing about 4% of its value against the dollar in February.
Protestors like Hempstone Monari think the government could do much more to ease their problems, even though the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine have helped the crisis.
President Ruto ran for the presidency on a promise of reviving the economy and putting money in the hands of the oppressed. His decision to stop providing subsidies for fuel and maize meal, a staple diet, was met with ignorance.
The economy of Kenya is unlikely to improve unless the government restructures its debt. In May and June, the nation’s credit facilities are expected to be reviewed by the International Monetary Fund. The World Bank has maintained its 5.2% growth prediction for the Kenyan government.
The protestors under the opposition leader Odinga claim that they don’t give up the struggle until they get results. According to the protestors, they won’t get anything in this country until they shout for what they want.
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