A showdown looms Thursday in various parts of the country as police plan to confront groups of the “occupy Parliament” protesters.
In Nairobi, for instance, a heavy contingent of police was seen in various streets of the Central Business District and around Parliament Buildings as early as 6 am.
The protesters, mostly the young generation have vowed to march in various parts of the country to oppose the Finance Bill 2024.
They indicated they would continue with the protests on Thursday in various towns even as police termed the marches illegal.
Police headquarters ordered regional police commanders to plan well and disperse the protesters to stop them from disrupting businesses.
This meant the protests had been declared illegal.
In Nairobi, more anti-riot police were mobilized ahead of the march on Thursday.
Nairobi police commander Adamson Bungei said he was not aware of any protest as there had been no notification on the same.
He said he had mobilized his troops to address the situation.
The organisers of the protest dubbed Occupy Parliament said they were ready for the peaceful march and that they had met all the requirements.
This will be the third day of the protest even as the government said they had dropped some of the proposed tax increases.
The organizers are using social media to mobilise and have issued an elaborate plan for the protest dubbed ‘Occupy Parliament’ against the Finance Bill 2024.
Police have warned of possible disruption of traffic flow on some roads near the Parliament Building.
Police aware of the situation said they had been ordered to ensure they “diffuse” the protest from the start.
Some of the disgruntled Kenyans have been mobilising themselves on social media under the hashtag ‘Reject Finance Bill’ to raise awareness and marshal sufficient support to ensure they show up in their numbers to occupy Parliament.
“Citizens, rise against over-taxation. Reject Finance Bill 2024,” reads a poster circulating on X.
Aware that police will be deployed to disperse the gathering, the organisers of the protest have advised those who will answer their call and show up to come prepared for the worst.
“Carry placard, handkerchief and bottle of water,” the poster reads.
Protesters often arm themselves with bottles of water and handkerchiefs in anticipation should teargas be lobbed at them.
What started as anger on TikTok about the controversial finance bill has morphed into a revolt – without being organised by political parties.
On Tuesday, hundreds of trainer-wearing protesters, who feel Kenyans are already overtaxed with little to show for it, braved tear gas lobbed by police to march through the capital, Nairobi, bringing the city’s central business district to a standstill.
Armed with their smartphones, they live-streamed the intense confrontations with officers.
The youthful demonstrators, popularly referred to as Gen Zs – in reference to the term generally used to describe those born during the late 1990s and early 2000s – showed up in huge numbers, vowing to ensure that their discontent did not end with just a hashtag or meme.
Many of them were demonstrating for the first time and waved signs such as “Do Not Force The Taxes On Us”.
The hashtags used to pressure MPs and rally protesters were “#OccupyParliament” and “#RejectFinanceBill2024”.
The protesters’ efforts to march to parliament were thwarted as police used water cannons to block them.
More than 200 young protesters were arrested but some of them were later released after lawyers went to the police stations where they had been detained.
Those who did not make it to the streets on Tuesday and Wednesday helped spread the word by sharing messages, pictures and videos on social media.
As the protest lacked any clear leadership, the police have found it hard to target those behind it.
They banned the march on a technicality though the protesters said all requirements had been met.
And unlike previous political anti-government protests, it was not characterised by looting, destruction of property and stone-throwing.
There are fears of infiltration in the coming days to demonise the protests.
No political affiliations or ethnic alignments were mentioned – just a clear determination by the protesters to be heard.
Source: theStars .co.ke
Original writer: [email protected] (CYRUS OMBATI)