Kenyan protest organizers called for fresh peaceful marches against deeply unpopular tax hikes on Wednesday, as the death toll from nationwide demonstrations climbed to 22, according to a state-funded rights body that has vowed to investigate the violence.

"You Can't Kill All of Us," Declare Defiant Kenyan Anti-Tax Protesters

Tensions sharply escalated on Tuesday when police opened fire on demonstrators who stormed parliament. The mainly youth-led rallies began peacefully last week, with thousands marching across the country to oppose the tax increases. However, the unprecedented scenes of chaos left parts of parliament ablaze, hundreds wounded, and shocked the nation. In response, President William Ruto’s government deployed the military.

On Tuesday afternoon, parliament passed the contentious bill containing the tax hikes, which now awaits Ruto’s signature to become law. Despite this, demonstrators pledged to return to the streets on Thursday, demanding the bill’s withdrawal.

“Tomorrow we march peacefully again as we wear white, for all our fallen people,” protest organizer Hanifa Adan said on X (formerly Twitter). “You cannot kill all of us.”

Protesters rallied support on social media with the slogan “Tupatane Thursday” (“we meet Thursday” in Swahili) and the hashtag #Rejectfinancebill2024.

“The government does not care about us because they shot us with live bullets,” said Steve, a 40-year-old who was at the parliament on Tuesday, speaking to AFP. He accused Ruto of victimizing innocent people and expressed his intent to march again on Thursday, anticipating more violence and chaos.

Roseline Odede, chairwoman of the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, confirmed the 22 deaths, noting that the organization would launch an investigation. “This is the largest number of deaths in a single day of protest,” she said, adding that 19 people had died in the capital, Nairobi. She also reported over 300 injuries and more than 50 arrests.

Simon Kigondu, president of the Kenya Medical Association, expressed his shock at the level of violence against unarmed protesters. An official at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi stated on Wednesday that medics were treating 160 people, some with soft tissue injuries and others with bullet wounds.

In response to the unrest, protest organizers shared online fundraising efforts to support those injured in the demonstrations.

President Ruto issued a stern warning late Tuesday, promising a tough stance against what he described as “violence and anarchy,” comparing some demonstrators to criminals. “It is not in order or even conceivable that criminals pretending to be peaceful protesters can reign terror against the people, their elected representatives, and the institutions established under our constitution and expect to go scot-free,” he said.

Shortly before Ruto’s address, Defence Minister Aden Bare Duale announced that the army had been mobilized to address the “security emergency” in the country.

An AFP reporter observed a heavy police presence around parliament early Wednesday, with the smell of tear gas lingering in the air.

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