Kenya: Police Chief Quits After Deadly Anti-tax Protests

Arising from weeks of protests against increase in tax, the police chief in Kenya has announced his resignation from office.

Japhet Koome’s resignation comes amidst allegation that the police have extra-judicially shot dozens of demonstrators, abducted and arbitrary arrest hundreds of others.

At least 40 persons have reportedly been killed since the inception of the protest, after the parliament passed the controversial finance bill which sought to raise tax amidst high cost of living in the East African state.

Koome’s resignation comes a day after President William Ruto dissolved his cabinet, relieving most cabinet members of their duties.

Ruto who came to office September 2022 with a promise of introducing raft of policies that will enhance the lives of “hustling” Kenyans had come under pressure to reduce governance cost, as coordinated online protest by young Kenyans continues.

Protesters two weeks ago stormed the parliament in reaction to the passage of the finance bill but the police responded with a brute force, firing live bullets on protesters on the street and dispersing them with water canons.

As the pressure intensified, Ruto withdrew the bill but that has failed to satisfy the demonstrators, who want him to step down and are planning more protests to demand further reforms.

Deputy police chief Douglas Kanja takes over the office of the police chief on acting capacity with immediate effect, the Kenyan presidency has said.

Mr Koome’s resignation has been welcomed by Kenyans, yet police officers who caught on film firing at protesters remain at large.

Last week during a rare discussion on X, formerly Twitter, President Ruto promised Kenyans he would take action against those police officers once he received video evidence. It is not clear whether this has happened.

On Friday at least 11 dead bodies, some of them dismembered, were found at a waste dump in the capital, Nairobi, after residents raised the alarm.

It is not yet clear whether their deaths have any connection with the protests and police brutality.

Ruto earlier this week met opposition leader Raila Odinga and announced plans to form a 150-member dialogue panel to help find a solution to the country’s problems.

After sacking key cabinet members on Thursday, the president said he would now consult widely in order to set up a broad-based government.