WORLD NEWS: KENYA POLICE CHIEF RESIGNS AFTER PROTESTS

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Following harsh criticism, Kenya’s police chief resigned on Friday, the presidency announced, becoming the latest figurehead to step down amid anti-government rallies that claimed dozens of lives.

The action was taken the day after President William Ruto fired practically his whole cabinet in an attempt to quell the public’s outrage over his administration following mainly peaceful protests over planned tax increases that turned violent and fatal.

Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome has held the position since November 2022, and the presidency announced in a statement that Ruto has “accepted the resignation” of Koome.

The most significant issue of Ruto’s almost two-year administration, Koome’s removal, was demanded by some of the young Kenyans of Generation Z who organized the rallies. The police were also accused of using excessive force during the demonstrations.

Ruto has made a number of concessions to the protestors, including rescinding the finance package that included the wildly unpopular tax increases.

With the exception of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi, he fired the attorney general and every cabinet minister on Thursday.

Although the cabinet announcement was well received by some, several young Kenyans who were disappointed that Ruto had not fulfilled his pledges to improve their lot in life and create jobs in 2022 did not feel satisfied.

ā€œWe will be back on the streets until Ruto goes. He has wasted two years in office travelling and telling lies,ā€ said Hyrence Mwangi, 25.

Initially peaceful, the protests sharply escalated when police fired at crowds who stormed parliament on June 25, ransacking the partly ablaze complex.

While large-scale street protests have subsided, anger against the government has not, particularly towards the police, with rights groups saying that 39 people were killed in the demonstrations.

ā€œWhen we first went to the streets, Ruto dismissed us as a bunch of hired goons and criminals, only to come later and start saying he will make changes,ā€ said 27-year-old Jackson Rotich.

ā€œWe canā€™t trust him.ā€

IT specialist Cyrus Otieno, 27, was among those who had called for Koome to go, saying he ā€œmust be prosecuted for police brutalityā€.

Law student Melisa Agufana, 24, welcomed the cabinet dismissal, saying she wanted to ā€œthank the president for listeningā€.

She added that ministers had ā€œwasted two years doing nothing apart from being driven around with our national flag.ā€

Analysts said the move offered the possibility of a fresh start, but warned of further risks.

ā€œThe challenge that Ruto now faces is forming a new cabinet that includes various vested interests, whilst simultaneously calming popular anger in the face of an explicitly leaderless movement,ā€ Gabrielle Lynch, professor of comparative politics at the University of Warwick, told AFP.

Last week, Ruto announced sharp cuts to government spending, including travel and refurbishment costs, and said he would increase borrowing to pay for some services even as Kenya grapples with massive foreign debt equivalent to roughly 70 percent of GDP.

The crisis led US-based Moodyā€™s to downgrade Kenyaā€™s debt rating further into junk territory, warning of a negative outlook, which will make borrowing even more expensive for the cash-strapped government.

Ruto said Thursday that he would ā€œimmediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations, with the aim of setting up a broad-based governmentā€, without elaborating further.

 

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