As the waves of the Arab spring are crashing in African countries

 

The wave of successful protests in Kenya has already begun to spill over into neighboring countries.

Kenyan President William Ruto came to power in August 2022 promising to reduce the cost of living within 100 days. But he failed to deal with Kenya's economic crisis. The wave of discontent that has started in his country may have important consequences outside the country.

 Thousands of Kenyan youth took to the streets on June 18 to protest a controversial tax bill. If the bill is passed, there was a fear that the prices of daily commodities would increase. Ruto quickly announced some tax rate cuts from the bill. But the protesters refused to accept his offer. As days passed, more and more people joined the rebellion. At one point they entered the parliament and ransacked it.

 The police used force to disperse the protesters. Dozens of people were killed, hundreds were injured.

 At one point in the series of events, on June 26, Ruto gave up and stepped down from his position.

However, even after withdrawing from the controversial bill, public anger has not subsided. That's why he made a new effort to stop the movement. He promised to dissolve the cabinet and form a new cabinet based on national unity. Even a massive cabinet reshuffle failed to shake the protestors' stubbornness. Kenyans have not yet returned home from the streets to demand Ruto's resignation.

 With the number of protesters increasing day by day, it is not right to think that they will return home before an election is confirmed.

 There are obvious reasons behind the continued protests in Kenya despite the withdrawal of the controversial tax bill. The accumulated crisis erupted over a single issue. The tax hike bill acted as the final straw that broke the camel's back in this regard. There are many reasons like epidemic corruption, gross failure to establish good governance, lack of socio-economic support and reduced employment opportunities. The people of Kenya have to struggle enough to get food on their feet. There is widespread inequality and poverty in society. They want a systemic change and want that change implemented now.