Kenyans are disciplining democracy, protesting taxation under the Williams Ruto administration. At some point during the week, the country has been basically shut down, right up to the legislature.
Siege on the Parliament
Kenya has been a space of youth assertiveness in the past decade, marked by successful confrontation against waste (mis) management, corruption, electoral exclusion and now perceived arbitrary taxation.
The protest culture in Kenya is thus consolidated, using popular culture, especially music, in 2017 and 2018, to devastating effect and lots of gain.
The question now is how the current phase will end. In defeat of President Williams Ruto’s tax regime or in undercutting of the strides in disciplining democracy?
Kenya, more than South Africa, will remain the space to watch because of the relatively more developed NGO and more qualitative civil society coalition over there.
Unfortunately, demonstrators are dying. Some estimates put the dead at five, so far. It could be more.
