The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Kenya’s President William Ruto to respect the rights of citizens to protest as stipulated in the law.
The youth-led protests began mostly peacefully in June, with thousands of protesters marching in the capital Nairobi and across the country against the tax increases.
Meanwhile, tensions flared when police officers fired live ammunition on crowds that later invaded the parliament complex.
According to Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), more than 50 people have been killed since mid-June, when protesters began taking to the streets to oppose tax increases proposed by President Ruto’s administration.The Kenyan government was reportedly taken by surprise by the intensity of opposition to its tax proposals, mostly led by young Kenyans.
However, in a statement released by the U.S. Department of State on Thursday, attributed to his spokesperson, Matthew Miller, Antony J. Blinken asked Kenyan President to respect the vital role played by youth and civil society organizations in healthy democracies, and their contributions to Kenya’s development.
He said, “Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto today. The Secretary underscored the importance of freedoms of assembly and expression as enshrined in Kenyan’s constitution, emphasized the vital role played by youth and civil society organizations in healthy democracies, and urged respect for their contributions to Kenya’s development.
“The Secretary commended President Ruto for his pledge of accountability for security forces allegedly involved in protest violence or responsible for disappearances and his commitment to direct police to refrain from using violence of any kind against protesters.”
“The Secretary thanked President Ruto for Kenya’s contributions to the multinational security support mission to Haiti. The Secretary reiterated that the United States stands with the Kenyan people as they build a more inclusive and prosperous Kenya,” the statement added.
