The recent crackdown on anti-tax protesters in Kenya has had a deeply troubling impact, with reports of abductions causing significant trauma among those affected, according to legal representatives. Approximately 35 individuals suspected of involvement in demonstrations against the now-rescinded finance bill were reportedly apprehended in an operation carried out by an intelligence police unit.
Although the majority of those apprehended have since been released, the Law Society of Kenya has reported that 10 activists remain unaccounted for. Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura has defended the actions of the police, asserting that the apprehension was necessary due to the involvement of “criminal elements seeking a coup d’état” who attempted to exploit the peaceful protests.
Accounts have emerged of confiscated phones and laptops of the abductees, as well as their harrowing experiences in undisclosed locations. “Most of them are visibly shaken and they do not want to talk,” said Faith Odhiambo, the president of the Law Society of Kenya.
The demonstrations, led primarily by young people, commenced last week, with thousands marching peacefully in the capital, Nairobi, and across the nation opposing a contentious finance bill that sought to increase taxes. However, tensions escalated significantly after police intervened in the protests outside parliament, resulting in at least 23 fatalities, according to a doctors’ association.
Following the unrest, President William Ruto declared that the bill would be withdrawn, and reiterated his commitment to ending state-sanctioned abductions, a promise made during his election campaign. His deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, attributed the abductions to the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Despite President Ruto’s claims of all abducted individuals being released, rights groups have contested this. The president of the Law Society of Kenya has indicated that 12 individuals were still unaccounted for at the time of the president’s announcement.
The released individuals have been left traumatized, with some expressing a desire to relocate from the city or even leave the country altogether. Many of them are under 30 and were seized from the streets or their homes by plain-clothed gunmen believed to be members of the police force.
Rights groups have reported that some abductees were questioned about their participation in the protests and the sources of their funding. Despite their ordeals, many individuals are still hesitant to come forward due to the trauma they endured.
The Kenya National Human Rights Commission has stated it assisted in securing the release of more than 300 people who were “illegally detained”. Furthermore, Chief Justice Martha Koome has condemned the abductions as a direct attack on the rule of law.
The withdrawal of the finance bill has been described as a “significant setback” for the government, creating a “significant deficit” in the budget. However, some have attributed the resistance to the bill to the government’s dissemination of misinformation and disinformation.
These recent events have drawn considerable attention to Kenya’s tax crisis. For more news from the African continent, please visit BBCAfrica.com and follow @BBCAfrica on Twitter and Facebook.