The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has disclosed that some police officers faced severe shortages of food and water while managing the anti-finance bill protests, which began in June 2024. The protests, fueled by public outrage over tax increases, spread across multiple counties and continued through August.
In its report, titled Monitoring Report on Policing of the Protests Held in Various Counties on Diverse Dates in June, July & August 2024, IPOA revealed that they had deployed officers to monitor police behavior in major towns. The report emphasized the hardships officers faced, particularly the lack of basic necessities like food and water.
“Not all police had water and food,” the report stated, also noting that officers worked for extended hours, often late into the night due to the prolonged nature of the protests.
The IPOA report also highlighted issues with the handling of protest notices by the police. In some cases, station commanders reportedly refused to accept official protest notifications from organizers, which led to some protests being dispersed under the pretext of lacking formal notification.
“There were allegations of station commanders refusing to receive protest notifications from the organizers. Lack of a formal notice was used as a justification for dispersing the protests. Section 5 (2) is silent on what protest organizers are supposed to do when the regulating officers decline to receive their notices,” the report mentioned.
The protests were sparked by widespread dissatisfaction with the government’s tax hikes, aimed at addressing Kenya’s massive public debt, which is nearing Sh10 trillion, about 70% of the country’s GDP. Activist groups claim that more than 39 lives were lost during the protests.
The government, under increasing pressure to tackle the public debt, justified the tax increases as necessary to meet debt obligations. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also urged Kenya to introduce fiscal reforms as a condition for accessing critical financial aid.
Although President William Ruto initially backtracked on some of the tax measures in response to the protests, the Treasury warned that this could result in a budget shortfall of Sh200 billion. The situation escalated further when demonstrators stormed parliament, setting part of the building on fire, leading Ruto to reject the finance bill and later dismiss his cabinet.
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