Hundreds of Kenyans gathered in Nairobi on Sunday for a concert to honor the over three dozen people killed in recent anti-government protests.
The demonstrations, which began on June 18, resulted in at least 39 deaths as protesters demanded the cancellation of planned tax hikes and the resignation of President William Ruto.
Activist Boniface Mwangi, attending the concert, remarked, “The government is listening now because of the protests. So we are kind of happy, but there’s also a lot of sadness because so many people died for the government to listen. We’re also mourning, and we’re telling the families of those who lost their loved ones, we’re with you, and we shall honor their sacrifice.”
In Uhuru Park, a central green space in Nairobi, local artists performed while attendees held placards reading “RIP Comrades” and “We promise we’ll keep fighting,” and chanted “Ruto must go.” Some attendees also hammered crosses into the ground in remembrance.
In response to the intensified protests, President Ruto scrapped the finance bill, which included several new taxes that would have increased the already high cost of living.
On Friday, he proposed new austerity measures, including reducing the number of his advisers and dissolving 47 state corporations to address a budget gap left by the withdrawn tax hikes, which were expected to raise $2.7 billion.
The concert took place on Saba Saba Day, July 7, commemorating the 1990 protests that pressured the government of the late leader Daniel Arap Moi to restore multi-party politics in Kenya.
