DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Kenyan Parliamentary Committee Call for Reforms to Electoral Body
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The bipartisan committee formed to study opposition grievances wants the electoral commission reconstituted and an audit of the last presidential election. As a result, the committee was formed in August with the backing of a parliamentary resolution and was mandated to study the grievances and propose necessary policy reforms to the government. In its report, the committee recommended the "restructuring and reconstitution" of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the country's electoral body. "The committee recommended the appointment of a panel of experts who would evaluate the 2022 electoral process and a mechanism for evaluating future elections." The government, the committee said in the report, should also review its tax policy, rationalise public expenditure and expand the reach of social protection.

Persons: Humphrey Malalo, William Ruto, Raila Odinga, Hussein Mohamed, Ruto, Elias Biryabarema, Giles Elgood Organizations: Kenyan, Reuters, Sunday, Independent, Commission, Kenya State House Locations: Humphrey Malalo NAIROBI, Kenya

☆ Kenyan parliamentary committee call for reforms to electoral body
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Humphrey Malalo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Persons: Baz Ratner, William Ruto, Raila Odinga, Hussein Mohamed, Ruto, Humphrey Malalo, Elias Biryabarema, Giles Elgood Organizations: Kenyatta International Convention, REUTERS, Rights, Kenyan, Reuters, Sunday, Independent, Commission, Kenya State House, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Rights NAIROBI

CNN —A summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and African leaders began in St. Petersburg on Thursday, with a far lower turnout than previous years. Just 17 heads of African states are attending this year, the Kremlin has confirmed, less than half of the 43 heads of state that attended the 2019 conference. And some African politicians – further than simply not attending the summit – have expressed grave concerns about Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine. Putin makes free grain pledgeThe African states being represented at the St. Petersburg summit will be keen to sway Russia into rejoining the grain deal, and Putin has courted African leaders for years in a deliberate effort to broaden Moscow’s global influence. Russia’s Wagner mercenaries have also been deployed in some African states.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, William Ruto, –, “, ”, Raila Odinga, ” Odinga, Putin, Russia’s Wagner, ” Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Cyril Ramaphosa’s, Maria Lvova Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Kenyan, Putin, Russian, ”, Criminal Court, ICC Locations: St . Petersburg, United States, Moscow, Africa, Russia, Ukraine, St, Petersburg, Russian, Johannesburg, South Africa, Rome, Hague

☆ Kenya's opposition holds vigils for slain and injured protesters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has repeatedly called for acts of civil disobedience against a government he accuses of raising the cost of living and consolidating power. Police killed 37 people during the protests, Kenyan rights group Independent Medico-Legal Unit said earlier this week, while Azimio claims at least 50 people were slain. The interior ministry said on Wednesday claims that security forces committed extrajudicial killings or used excessive force were false and malicious. On Wednesday Odinga, Musyoka and other opposition figures visited injured protesters at two hospitals in the capital Nairobi. Ruto has said he also would not allow Odinga into his government, but was open to meeting him.

Persons: Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, Azimio, Musyoka, Odinga, William Ruto's, Ruto, Jefferson Kahinju, Humphrey Malalo, George Obulutsa, Hereward, Emelia Sithole, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Kenya Alliance, Kenyans, . Police, Kenyan, Independent Medico, Legal Unit, Wednesday Odinga, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Read, NAIROBI, Unity, Hereward Holland

CNN —A wave of deadly protests has hit Kenya as anger over tax hikes and the cost of living spilled into the streets. Brian Inganga/APHowever, 10 months after being sworn into office, the cost of living has continued to rise, and the raft of new tax hikes have only made living conditions worse. But many Kenyans are unhappy about these policies that continue to worsen the country’s cost of living crisis. There’s a very high cost of living, and they already have many levies and taxes on their pay slips. The opposition leader Raila Odinga and his Azimio la Umoja (One Kenya) coalition have led calls for protests over hikes.

Persons: WIlliam Ruto, Here’s what’s, Herman Manyora, Ruto, Brian Inganga, he’s, ” Manyora, ”, Nagudi, “, Raila Odinga, Odinga, Opiyo Wandayi, lobs, Thomas Mukoya, Moses Odhiambo Organizations: CNN, UN, Veteran, AP, Kenyan, CNN . Riot, Reuters, Kenya Locations: Kenya, Nairobi, Mathare, COVID, Mlolongo, Machakos county

At least 300 people were arrested, including several senior opposition leaders, and several people were reported shot, some possibly fatally, in clashes with police on Wednesday. The demonstrations, planned for Wednesday to Friday, are the third round of protests that the opposition has called this month. Protests this year have cost the economy more than $20 million per day, according to a private sector lobby group. Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga did not make a public appearance on Wednesday or Thursday as he did during previous protests. A Kenyan court froze the tax hikes late last month, pending a ruling by senior judges.

Persons: Raila Odinga, Ruto, Odinga, William Ruto, Paul Ongili, Aaron Ross, George Obulutsa, Humphrey Malalo, Monicah Mwangi, Anne Mawathe, Joseph Akwiri, Alexander Winning, Emelia, Bernadette Baum, Mike Harrison, Conor Humphries Organizations: Kenya Alliance, REUTERS, NAIROBI, La, NTV Kenya, Kenyan, Civic, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Kibera, Mombasa, Kisumu, Isiolo, Ruto's

☆ Protesters hurl rocks at Kenyan police as three-day tax protest begins
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A person rides a bike past tyres set on fire by protestors in Kibera slum during an anti-government protest against the imposition of tax hikes by the government in Nairobi, Kenya July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi/File PhotoNAIROBI, July 19 (Reuters) - Around 100 protesters hurled rocks at police in a poor neighbourhood of Nairobi on Wednesday as three days of demonstrations against the cost of living and tax hikes kicked off in Kenya. Protesters burned tires in the Kibera neighbourhood, often a flashpoint for stand-offs with security forces, and were met with volleys of tear gas by police. The Nation newspaper reported that police arrested suspected protesters in Homa Bay in the west of the country. Two rounds of protests earlier this month descended into violence when police fired tear gas, and in some cases live rounds, at the crowds.

Persons: Monicah, William Ruto, Raila Odinga, Stephen Kipchumba Cheboi, Odinga, Ruto, Hereward Holland, Stephen Coates, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Protesters, State House, The Nation, Governmental Organisation Council, Kenya, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, NAIROBI, Kibera, Homa Bay, Azmio

☆ Kenya's Ruto says further tax-hike protests will not be allowed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, July 14 (Reuters) - Kenyan President William Ruto vowed on Friday that protests planned next week would not be allowed following two rounds of demonstrations that have left at least 15 people dead. Opposition leader Raila Odinga's party called earlier in the day for three more days of protests from next Wednesday against tax hikes that Ruto signed into law last month. You cannot look for the leadership of this country using the blood of the citizens, the death of the citizens and the destruction of property," Ruto said at the opening of a road in the town of Naivasha. Kenya's President William Ruto attends a joint press conference with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya, July 12, 2023. The most recent demonstrations took place despite bans by the police, and Ruto did not say how he planned to stop the upcoming protests.

Persons: William Ruto, Raila, Ruto, Odinga, Ebrahim Raisi, Jeremy Laurence, Humphrey Malalo, Thomas Mukoya, Hereward Holland, Aaron Ross, Alex Richardson Organizations: Kenyan, Iran's, State, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, Naivasha, Nairobi, Kenya

☆ Kenya: Demonstrators feared dead as protests flare over tax hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Protests broke out across Kenya, including the capital Nairobi, where Opiyo Wandayi, who leads the opposition in Kenya’s parliament told CNN that demonstrators railing against the tax hikes were forcefully dispersed by police. “I was involved in the Nairobi protests. A Kenyan opposition supporter kicks a teargas canister fired by Kenya Police officers during demonstrations in Nairobi, Kenya on July 12, 2023. Kenyan opposition supporters react and throw stones towards Kenya Police officers during demonstrations in Nairobi, Kenya on July 12, 2023. Luis Tato/AFP/Getty ImagesWandayi told CNN the tax hike has come at a steep cost for many Kenyans.

Persons: Opiyo Wandayi, “, ” Wandayi, ”, Luis Tato, Raila Odinga, Odinga, William Ruto, Wandayi Organizations: CNN —, CNN, ” CNN, Kenyan, Kenya Police, Citizen TV, Getty Locations: Kenya, Nairobi, AFP, Kajiado, Machakos ’ Mlolongo

☆ Protesters clash with Kenya police over tax hikes, two killed, officers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the capital Nairobi, the port city of Mombasa and several other towns, according to Reuters reporters and footage aired on Kenyan television stations. Police officers patrolling the expressway, who did not give their names, told Reuters they had shot dead two protesters as they sought to repel an advancing crowd. You promised them that you are going to help them, but you didn't," Bernard Ochieng, a protester in Nairobi's informal Kibera settlements, told Reuters. The government says the tax hikes, which include a doubling of the fuel tax and the introduction of a levy to fund affordable housing, are needed to deal with growing debt repayments and to fund job-creation initiatives. At least six people were killed last Friday during protests called for by opposition leader Raila Odinga.

Persons: Raila Odinga, William Ruto, Young, Bernard Ochieng, Odinga, Thomas Mukoya, Jefferson Kahinju, Humphrey Malalo, Aaron Ross, Alex Richardson, Peter Graff, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Kenya Alliance, Police, Kenyan, Reuters, Kenya's, Thomson Locations: Read, NAIROBI, Nairobi, Mombasa

☆ Kenyan opposition leader calls for tax boycott
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsKenyan opposition leader calls for tax boycottPosted"We will deny Ruto the taxes" - so said Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday as he urged his supporters to boycott measures in a new finance bill and commit acts of civil disobedience. David Doyle has more.

Persons: Raila Odinga, David Doyle Organizations: Kenyan

☆ Kenyan president's tax hikes alienate his 'hustler' base
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ruto has also faced criticism for increasing allocations to his office and the deputy president's while cutting petrol subsidies. The proposals, contained in a draft law known as the finance bill, will be considered by parliament alongside the 2023-24 budget to be presented by the finance minister on Thursday. The president and his allies have defended the tax hikes, saying East Africa's economic powerhouse needs more revenue to avert a debt crisis and fund affordable housing projects. One man in Githunguri, who declined to give his name, defended the finance bill, saying Ruto was simply trying to leave his mark by constructing affordable housing. Fruit vendor John Nyaga, another Ruto voter, complained that the tax hikes would leave his customers with even less money to spend.

Persons: William Ruto, Ruto, Jacqueline Wambui, Ruto's, Uhuru Kenyatta, Raila Odinga, John Nyaga, Duncan Miriri, Aaron Ross, Ed Osmond Organizations: REUTERS, Ruto, Thomson Locations: Kiambu County, Kenya, GITHUNGURI, Nairobi, Ukraine, Githunguri

☆ Kenyan police fire tear gas at protesters marching against finance bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, June 6 (Reuters) - Kenyan police fired tear gas at hundreds of people protesting near parliament on Tuesday against a proposed finance bill that would hike taxes on fuel and housing. Police fired tear gas to disperse about 500 protesters who marched to parliament to present a petition against the bill, a Reuters witness said. REUTERS/Thomas MukoyaEleven protesters were seen being detained by police. In downtown Nairobi, plain-clothed police officers were seen carrying an activist who held a placard that read: "Colonialism never really ended." Labour unions, including one representing health workers, also protested against the bill last week.

Persons: William Ruto, Thomas Mukoya, Ruto, La, Raila Odinga, Duncan Miriri, Bhargav Acharya, Alex Richardson, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Kenyan, Police, REUTERS, Labour, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, East, Nairobi, Kenya

☆ Anti-government protests in Kenya resume with police firing tear gas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A boy carries a bouquet of flowers as he walks past a bus torched by unknown people ahead of protests by supporters of Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) One Kenya Alliance, in a nationwide protest...moreA boy carries a bouquet of flowers as he walks past a bus torched by unknown people ahead of protests by supporters of Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) One Kenya Alliance, in a nationwide protest over cost of living and President William Ruto's government in Nairobi, Kenya May 2, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas MukoyaClose

☆ Kenyan anti-government protests resume with police firing tear gas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Thomas MukoyaNAIROBI, May 2 (Reuters) - Kenyan police fired tear gas at a small group of protesters in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday as the opposition resumed anti-government demonstrations following a one-month pause. But he later announced that the protests would resume, accusing the government of not negotiating in good faith. The police said on Monday that the protests would be considered unlawful. Odinga's Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) coalition said the protests would go ahead. Reporting by George Obulutsa, Thomas Mukoya and Humphrey Malalo; Editing by Aaron Ross, Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kenyan police fire tear gas as anti-government protests resume
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Thomas MukoyaNAIROBI, May 2 (Reuters) - Kenyan police fired tear gas at a small group of protesters in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday as the opposition took to the streets again in anti-government demonstrations following a one-month pause. Police said they had arrested 46 people "engaging in acts of criminality" and said the protests were unlawful. The Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) coalition said some of its members of parliament were stopped on their way to the president's office and met with teargas. Our protests will resume on Thursday," the coalition said in a statement. But he later announced that the protests would resume, accusing the government of not negotiating in good faith.

☆ Kenya's President Ruto asks opposition to give talks a chance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Monicah MwangiNAIROBI, April 16 (Reuters) - Kenya's President William Ruto asked the opposition on Sunday to give talks with the government a chance while his main opponent urged his followers to protest again over electoral reforms and the high cost of living. The protests partly stem from accusations of fraud in August's presidential election in which Ruto narrowly beat Raila Odinga. Odinga's Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) Alliance and Ruto's Kenya Kwanza (Kenya First) alliance disagree about the content of the talks and who should steer them. Kenya Kwanza wants the talks to involve only lawmakers and discuss only the selection of electoral officials. "If we don't hear from Ruto next week, when Ramadan ends, we are going back to the streets," he said.

☆ Kenyan opposition ready to talk to government, resume protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Opposition, government differ on talks format, contentOdinga says protests to resume after RamadanParliament's majority leader says Odinga insincereNAIROBI, April 13 (Reuters) - Kenya's opposition alliance is prepared to negotiate with the government over electoral reforms and the high cost of living, while also resuming protests, opposition leader Raila Odinga said on Thursday. The protests, in part stirred by accusations of fraud in last August's presidential election, were all marred by violence. Once it ends, we will make an announcement for the protests," he said, referring to the holy Muslim fasting month. Kenya Kwanza wants to limit the scope of the talks to the selection of electoral officials, and the participants to lawmakers only. Kenyan police and interior ministry spokespeople did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comments on the resumption of protests.

☆ Kenya stops case against MPs after protests suspended
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsKenya stops case against MPs after protests suspendedPostedKenya's top prosecutor on Monday dropped charges against four lawmakers over anti-government protests, a day after opposition leader Raila Odinga suspended the demonstrations, their lawyer said. Olivia Chan has more.

☆ Kenyan opposition leader Odinga suspends anti-government protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, April 2 (Reuters) - Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga said on Sunday he was suspending anti-government protests and was ready for talks after an appeal from President William Ruto, though he warned that demonstrations could restart in days. Thousands have joined three marches over the past two weeks against high living costs and alleged fraud in last year's vote. If there was "no meaningful engagement or response" from Ruto, the protests would begin again in one week, Odinga said. Odinga also said that the opposition would engage the government on the high cost of living, which had galvanized many protesters. "At times like this, we should go back to subsidies ... so that the cost of living can come down," Odinga said.

☆ Kenya police, crowds clash in third wave of price rise protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Ayenat Mersie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Thousands joined marches called by opposition leader Raila Odinga against high living costs and alleged fraud in last year's vote. The government has said the vote was fair, defended its economic record and called for the protests to stop. "We are telling our elder Raila Odinga, the only way to get into government is through the ballot." Odinga's spokesperson Dennis Onyango accused Malala of "ethnic profiling", saying he had assumed the attackers were Odinga supporters because they were from his ethnic group. Odinga, who has run for president five times, challenged Ruto's victory in August's election, but the Supreme Court upheld the result unanimously.

☆ Renewed protests in Kenya as authorities vow to 'halt the descent'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In Mathare, a low-income settlement in Nairobi, protesters used improvised catapults to launch stones at police in riot gear, footage on Kenyan television showed. Local television stations on Thursday showed tires ablaze in Kibera and in Kisumu, near Odinga's ancestral home. During the previous two protests, they have fired tear gas and water cannon. The government says two civilians have been killed and more than 130 people, including 51 police officers, injured in protests since last week. Reporting by Ayenat Mersie; Editing by Aaron Ross and Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Calls for calm in Kenya amid protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsCalls for calm in Kenya amid protestsPostedKenyan President William Ruto vowed on Tuesday (March 28) to protect his citizens amid the ongoing anti-government protests, which have seen many lose their homes and businesses in the aftermath, while opposition leader Raila Odinga said he will continue on with demonstrations. This report produced by Olivia Zollino.

☆ Odinga supporters protest in Kenya despite ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsOdinga supporters protest in Kenya despite banPostedSupporters of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga cheered and danced despite a ban on their demonstration on Monday (March 27) in protests that began last week against the government and high food prices. Kristy Kilburn reports.

REUTERS/Thomas MukoyaNAIROBI, March 20 (Reuters) - Kenyan police tear gassed the leader of the opposition on Monday and arrested senior lawmakers in his parliamentary faction, as protesters took to the streets to march against President William Ruto and the high cost of living. Police officers in riot gear fired tear gas at hundreds of rock-throwing protesters in the capital Nairobi's vast Kibera slum, who chanted: "Ruto must go." We've had enough," said one protester, who asked not to be identified, as tear gas swirled around her. Police used tear gas and a water cannon to prevent Odinga's convoy from driving towards the president's State House residence to deliver a petition. Tear gas engulfed the vehicle as he spoke, calling for protests every Monday until the cost of living comes down.

Search resuls for: "Raila"

25 mentions found