Kenyan activists call for new protests

Kenyan activists have urged protesters to return to the streets on Tuesday, with many rejecting President William Ruto’s call for dialogue following his decision to cancel the proposed tax increase.

At least 24 people were killed in clashes between protesters and police last week, when parliament was briefly stormed and set on fire.

The protests, which were led by young people and primarily organized through social media, were initially sparked by a finance bill aimed at raising 346 billion Kenyan shillings ($2.69 billion) in taxes.

However, over the past two weeks, the demands of many protesters have expanded to include calls to end corruption and for Ruto to resign, representing the most serious crisis in his two-year presidency.

 Read More:Protesters Storm Kenyan Parliament Over Taxes

An interview Ruto gave to Kenyan television stations on Sunday evening, in which he mostly defended the actions of the police and his government, appears to have only hardened the protesters’ positions.

On Monday, activists circulated leaflets on social media, calling on people to occupy the central business district of Nairobi. Many posted under the hashtag #OccupyCBDTuesday.

The protest movement lacks official leadership, and it was unclear to what extent people would respond to these calls after tens of thousands turned out for some of the largest protests in the country last week.

On social media audio forums, activists are discussing how to maintain momentum now that the immediate goal—cancelling the finance bill—has been achieved