From June to July of this year, protests across Kenya expressing disappointment with President William Ruto resulted in injuries, unrest, leaving 65 people dead. Though police brutality in Kenya is not a new concern, this issue’s combination with rising youth unemployment rates has spurred a fury from young Kenyans, putting the once-strong democratic system of the country at risk. Following the fall of dictator President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi in 2002, whose 24 year authoritarian rule was marked by political repression and corruption, Kenya has been seen as a stand-out country for its economic and political stability, with one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa. Kenya’s Saba Saba Day, on July 7th, commemorates the protests in 1990 that called for an end to the single-party rule. On this day, opposition leaders demanded political reform and free elections, drawing a brutal response from the dictatorship of President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi. These initial protests set off a national movement leading to the 1991 repeal of the section of the Kenyan constitution which established a one-party system.
When the following two elections in 1992 and 1997 resulted in the continued dictatorship of President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi though, civil unrest simmered, leading to a string of protests in 1997, beginning on Saba Saba and continuing throughout the year. Once again, this was not enough to dismantle the government. President Moi agreed to share slots in electoral management with the opposition party and repeal laws that restrained public assembly, while he retained power. President Moi ultimately retired in 2002, making way for a democratic government. In the years that followed, however, corruption ruled, with scandal after scandal of money being funneled out of the government arising, leading to mass post-election protests in 2007 that resulted in over 1,300 deaths and 5,000 injuries.
Beginning with the fall of Moi in 2002, Kenya began to be seen internationally as a star in Africa, presenting an image of economic growth and political stability. Despite Kenya’s continued economic growth, civil unrest persisted throughout the 2010s, culminating in the election of the current president, William Ruto. Ruto ran on an anti-corruption platform, planning to form committees overseeing public officials actions, and promised to improve the lives of everyday Kenyans. Since his election, disappointment has built up again as youth unemployment rates have climbed. Protests in June 2024 following the introduction of a bill raising taxes to fight public debt led to 63 people killed by police and many more arrested. Ruto withdrew the bill, but economic discontent remained.
In the last couple of weeks of June this year, Kenyans took to the streets again, fueled this time in conjunction with the killing of Albert Omondi Ojwang in early June. Ojwang, a popular blogger and teacher on social media, was murdered in police custody after allegedly publishing defamatory information against President Ruto. Instances like this are not uncommon under Ruto’s regime, and many activists were abducted and tortured following the protests in 2024. In the case of Ojwang, the initial statement released by police said the reason for the arrest was “false publication,” and the cause of death was “hitting his head against a concrete wall.” After the initial postmortem by state pathologist Bernard Midla, however, it was found that the injuries spread across his body pointed to assault.
Protests erupted, and the police opened fire, leaving 19 dead and hundreds more injured. The government attempted to ban live television coverage of the protests until a court blocked that effort. The events culminated on the anniversary of Saba Saba day once again; protests intended to commemorate the country’s long struggle for democracy turned fatal with a total count of 760 arrests across the country, over 100 injuries, and 41 deaths. In a report issued by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), an organization based out of Kenya, it claimed the government had responded to largely peaceful demonstrations with disproportionate force reserved for riots. The actions taken by Kenyan police forces and the government in response to public dissent are reminiscent of a pre-democracy Kenya, better left in the past. With presidential elections coming in 2027, this is a critical point in the reign of Ruto: will he scale back the use of force against public dissent and focus resources on improving public services, fighting youth unemployment, or will he lean into the anti-democratic behavior that will decide the future trajectory of the country? While this year, Ruto has been careful not to raise taxes in the finance bill directly, he has not given any sign of taking steps towards reform. Currently, Kenya lacks a strong opposition candidate to challenge Ruto. Without the foresight of an overhaul of the government, the current state of Kenya’s democracy may spin out of control.
