Kenya’s deadly cost of living protest

By Sharon Kimathi, Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters Digital

Hello,

Today’s newsletter focuses on the tragic shootings in Kenya’s capital city after police opened fire on protesters seeking to block a finance bill that proposed tax increases on items such as bread and cooking oil.

Kenyan activist Auma Obama, the half-sister of former U.S. President Barack Obama, was among protesters tear-gassed during demonstrations outside the parliament building in Nairobi, a CNN interview showed.

At least 23 people were killed and more than 300 injured when police opened fire on crowds trying to storm the assembly to protest against tax hikes on Tuesday, according to medics.

In Washington, the White House said the United States was closely monitoring the situation in Nairobi and urging calm.

Kenyan President William Ruto withdrew the planned tax hikes on Wednesday, but some demonstrators said on social media that despite Ruto’s climbdown they would go ahead with a rally planned for Thursday, with many reiterating demands he resign.

How do the protests fit into our coverage? Well, the United Nations’s Sustainable Development Goal 16.10 – ensuring public access to information and protecting fundamental freedoms – illustrates how important freedom of expression is for sustainable development. That includes the right to peaceful protest.

Also on my radar today:

Police officers confront a protestor during a demonstration against Kenya’s proposed finance bill 2024/2025 in Nairobi, Kenya. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi

John Aron, from Nairobi’s Kibera neighborhood, said the demonstrators were part of a brand-new movement. “It is going to unite the youth and the old like never before,” the 29-year-old told Reuters.

Over just one week, what began as an online outpouring of anger by young, tech-savvy Kenyans at proposed taxes on bread and diapers has morphed into a nationwide movement untethered from the politicians who have traditionally rallied the masses.

The slogans on the streets and social media have shifted from tax to calls for a complete political overhaul. “Ruto must go!” crowds chanted.

In a speech on Wednesday, Ruto defended his push to raise taxes on items such as bread, cooking oil and diapers, saying it was justified by the need to cut Kenya’s high debt, which has made borrowing difficult and squeezed the currency.

But he acknowledged that the public had overwhelmingly rejected the finance bill. He said he would now start a dialogue with Kenyan youth and work on austerity measures, beginning with cuts to the budget of the presidency.

Unlike previous demonstrations in Kenya, the current protests have appealed broadly to those weary of rising living costs and corruption.

Even if Ruto’s concession on tax reduces the immediate threat of more unrest, it still leaves him caught between the competing demands of his hard-pressed citizens and of lenders such as the International Monetary Fund – which is urging the government to cut deficits to obtain more financing.

Lawmakers had already removed some tax hikes from the final version of the finance bill, including on bread and cooking oil, but inserted others in an effort to avoid a budget gap.

For context, the salary of an unskilled agricultural worker increased by 808 Kenyan shillings ($6.2) to 7,544 shillings ($58.2) between 2017-2022, while members of parliament got a 33% increase in salary for the same period from 532,500 shillings to 710,000 shillings, according to a review of data from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and Kenya National Bureau of Statistics by the Kenyan Nation newspaper.

Many of the protesters said they had had enough of a political system under which the big parties took turns in power and funneled jobs and opportunities to supporters and people from their ethnic groups.

“Our parents failed us. They voted along tribal lines,” 26-year-old Derick Kolito told Reuters. He said he had a master’s degree in accounts but had not managed to find a job.

“I am the son of peasants. You must have a godfather to get a job … I wish I was born in another country.”

Kenyans have been struggling to cope with several economic shocks caused by the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, two consecutive years of drought and depreciation of the currency.

Employees load a sack of plastic bottles onto a bus after collection from a dump site in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. REUTERS/Seun Sanni

Thoko-Elphick-Pooley, executive director of uniting to combat NTDs and co-chair of the G7 Taskforce on Global Health, shares her thoughts on the progress made by African nations on tackling climate change driven diseases:

“Climate change is affecting vector populations and disease trends, thus impacting human health.

“For example, insects that transmit Dengue, Chikungunya, Leishmaniasis, Lymphatic filariasis, and Schistosomiasis can thrive In warmer temperatures and/or increased rainfall.

“It Is estimated that 500 million more people globally could become exposed to chikungunya and dengue as these diseases spread to new geographies due to warmer climates. By 2080, this figure is expected to double, affecting one billion more people.

“However, amidst these challenges, there is a glimmer of hope as countries are taking proactive measures in combating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

“Twenty-one African countries have successfully eliminated at least one NTD, with some countries, such as Togo, Benin, and Malawi, achieving remarkable success in eliminating multiple NTDs.

“To sustain momentum and safeguard gains, the African continent is pursuing collective action through the Common Africa Position and the Continental Framework in NTDs.

“These achievements are not just local victories but serve as inspiring examples of what collective action can accomplish against diseases that have plagued humanity for centuries.”

Risk aversion is likely to leave major Western miners lagging in a race to tap Africa’s reserves of critical raw materials that has gathered pace now Middle Eastern oil producers have begun to emulate China’s years of investment on the continent.

The costs of gaining a stake are being inflated by an increased appetite for critical minerals needed for the transition to a greener economy, of which Africa’s copperbelt, stretching from southern Congo and Zambia to Botswana, has an abundance.

Oil producers Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are among those most able to take risks. Chinese miners, meanwhile, have strengthened their hold in Congo and are broadening investment throughout Africa.

Angele Kanam, owner of Ezin restaurant, smiles in front of the day’s menu, which includes palm larvae, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. REUTERS/Justin Makangara

Today’s spotlight shines a light on a heart-wrenching project in the mineral-rich country of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

At an orphanage in the DR Congo’s capital Kinshasa, more than 60 children stared at their plate of palm weevil larvae fried up in spices, sharing nervous smiles, before curiously digging into the thick white worms.

The orphans are being fed the protein-rich larvae, known locally as mpose, as part of an initiative from Kinshasa-based non-profit organization Farms for Orphans, which is seeking to address malnutrition in the west African nation.

Around one quarter of the country’s 99 million population faces a food crisis and one half of all orphans are suffering from malnutrition, according to the World Food Programme.

Edible insects, including larvae, are increasingly being studied for their potential as a sustainable alternative form of protein to meat, either for human consumption as in Congo, or for animal feed in Benin. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation, insects can be a rich source of fat, protein, vitamins, fiber and minerals.

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