Amnesty International said in a statement on Wednesday that Ruto had “oversaw a planned and executable massacre against peaceful protesters who came out across the country to protest the punitive Finance Bill, 2024,” citing that Kenyan police had killed 23, injured 300, and kidnapped 22 demonstrators.
The statement went on, saying, “These shootings, killings, and kidnappings constitute crimes against humanity, making President Ruto of Kenya a candidate for the International Criminal Court once more.” Ruto called the protesters “treasonous acts” in his speech to the country last night. We would like to make it clear that treason is not committed by protests or demonstrators. The treasonous actions of Ruto include, but are not limited to, his disregard for the complaints of the people, his unlawful use of force, and his use of snipers to shoot, maim, and kill defenseless protestors.
The human rights organization charged Mr. Ruto with “fueling” the killings through his inciting broadcast, calling the protests “treasonous events,” and using the Kenya Defence Forces against the law to put an end to the demonstrations.
Our belief is that President William Ruto’s callous and provocative speech at the State House yesterday served as the impetus for the slaughter that took place in Githurai. The killing began at 10 p.m. after Ruto spoke at 9 p.m. and made threats against Kenyans.
According to Article 241 (2, c) of Kenya’s Constitution, which requires the National Assembly’s approval before such a deployment may take place, the killings were made worse by the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) deployment, according to Amnesty International.
Protests against the Finance Bill, which calls for taxes to be imposed on sanitary pads, bread, cars, and other goods, began quietly last week when people took to the streets with signs. But on Tuesday, it became violent as police in Nairobi started shooting demonstrators with live ammunition to put an end to the protests.
During a live broadcast on Tuesday night, Mr. Ruto called the anti-tax protests “treasonous events.” He also thanked “security officers for applying themselves to the best of their abilities in the defense of Kenya and its people,” but he chose not to mention the deaths of these officers.
Aden Bare Duale, Kenya’s cabinet secretary for defense, declared the military would be sent in to assist the police in quelling protestors a few hours after Mr. Ruto’s broadcast.
As demonstrators resisted the violent police crackdown on Wednesday, Mr. Ruto announced the unpopular bill’s withdrawal in an effort to appease the public.
In a live broadcast on Wednesday, Mr. Ruto declared, “Listening keenly to the people of Kenya who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this Finance Bill 2024, I concede and therefore I will not sign the 2024 Finance Bill and it shall subsequently be withdrawn.”
Kenyans have organized a one million person march on Thursday to shut down the nation, despite Mr. Ruto withdrawing the Finance Bill on Wednesday.
In a united statement, the US, UK, Canada, Belgium, and other countries expressed sorrow at the protesters’ deaths at the hands of Kenyan police on Tuesday.
Since taking office in 2022, Mr. Ruto has raised taxes in an effort to pay down Kenya’s debt, which is estimated to be worth $80 billion, and to cut back on borrowing. Nationwide demonstrations were triggered by the contentious Finance Bill.
