Kenyan Concert Honors Victims of Protests, Calls for Change

Hundreds of Kenyans gathered in Nairobi’s capital on Sunday, participating in a concert to honor the more than three dozen individuals who lost their lives in recent anti-government protests. The event was marked by chanting, dancing, and calls for continued change.

The protests, which began on June 18, resulted in at least 39 fatalities as demonstrators demanded the cancellation of planned tax hikes and the resignation of President William Ruto.

The concert, featuring local artists, took place in Uhuru Park, a central green space in Nairobi. Young attendees held placards with messages like “RIP Comrades” and “We promise we’ll keep fighting,” while the crowd chanted “Ruto must go.” Some participants hammered crosses into the ground as a symbol of mourning.

In response to the escalating protests last month, President Ruto scrapped the finance bill that proposed a series of new taxes, which many Kenyans believed would have further increased the already high cost of living.

Additionally, on Friday, Ruto introduced new austerity measures, including reducing the number of his advisers and dissolving 47 state corporations, aiming to address a budget gap caused by the withdrawal of the proposed tax hikes, which were expected to raise $2.7 billion.

The concert coincided with Saba Saba Day, celebrated on July 7, which commemorates the 1990 protests that eventually pressured the government of the late President Daniel Arap Moi to restore multi-party politics in Kenya.11:16