PHOTOS: Fresh round of anti-Finance Bill protests rock Kenya

Protests against the Finance Bill 2024 have kicked off in several towns and cities countrywide ahead of the final vote on the Bill in the National Assembly.

The protesters are seeking a total shutdown of the country to pile more pressure on parliamentarians to toss out the FY2024/2025 tax plan which they feel is insensitive to the plight of the taxpayer.

Demonstrators have occupied streets in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu and Kakamega and several other towns leading to a paralysis in transport services and closure of businesses in some instances.

In Nairobi, the number of peaceful protesters in the Central Business District has swollen steadily since morning triggering the anti-riot police to occasionally use tear gas to disperse them.

An almost similar situation has ensued in Mombasa Town where protesters have also flocked the streets of the coastal city.

Nakuru City protests began at the Railways Police Station where those taking part in the march maintained that their mass action is peaceful. One of their placards read, “Peace Demo: Don’t harm our kids” in a seeming reference to last week’s protest where 29-year-old Rex Masai died from a gunshot wound.

In Eldoret, the resolute young people on boda bodas and on foot crisscrossed the town streets while speaking out against recent disappearances of influential people associated with the protests.

DP Gachagua’s Nyeri home tuff has also experienced an outpouring of dissent as protesters sing and chant ‘Reject’ in an apparent opposition to the controversial Finance Bill.

However, calmness has been reported in Kisii. The anti-riot police deployed to maintain public order in the area converged at the Kisii Central Police Station in the morning for a pre-operation briefing.

This report was compiled by Denis Omondi.