Kenya: riots against tax increases
Rising fuel taxes spark clashes and violence in Kenya and other African countries
Although there are some places where seeing an increase in the cost of certain commodities can be considered a minor annoyance, there are some areas where this is simply a major insult to the daily lives of all citizens. Some of these places are in East Africa, where, as one can imagine, one does not exactly live in a very stable economic situation. Precisely because of this, going through certain changes can be quite dramatic.
This is what happened in Kenya, where the government announced that it would raise fuel taxes from 8% to 16%. This, of course, had numerous consequences on people’s lives, raising the cost of food and other products needed to live. Clearly, this situation had all the potential to create friction between the population and the police.
What has also unfortunately happened is that the political party opposite to the current one has suggested to the population to revolt against this decision. Thus, days of intense clashes lie ahead in Kenya. In other parts of Africa there are more riots with many arrests. The arrival of a rescue vehicle is not always on time, with other vehicles – such as the fire brigade – already occupying the streets that have been put to the sword among the people who are protesting strongly at the change.
There are times when one has to expect a serious response from the people, especially when it comes to certain sections of the population where there is already some discontent. Africa is a very diverse region in its areas, between those that are more modern and those that still live in a certain wilder environment. In other situations, however, there is always a particular tension that exists between several political parties, in an economy that is mostly unstable.
Other states try not to get involved in these situations, but in some cases small expeditions can be organised to help those in greater difficulty. Although in this case it remains very difficult, especially while these battles are going on. However, it must not be forgotten that in the end, these battles will always come to an end, unfortunately always leaving a trail of destruction that will require humanitarian aid at a later date.