Julius Malema's EFF party condemns Kenyan police brutality in anti-Finance Bill demos

South African opposition leader Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party has condemned the Kenya Police’s violent quelling of protesters in Tuesday’s demonstrations against the Finance Bill 2024.

In a statement on Wednesday, EFF termed the use of live ammunition on unarmed citizens by Kenyan police as unacceptable and a violation of human rights.

“Instead of de-escalating the conflict, the Kenyan government chose to exacerbate it by deploying police, and have also chosen to deploy the army under the guise of addressing a ‘security emergency’,” EFF said.

The party criticised President William Ruto’s comments that “organised criminals” had hijacked discourse on the unpopular proposed law, through which his government seeks to hike taxes.

Ruto in a televised address in the evening termed Tuesday’s events a threat to national security and vowed to crack down on the “planners, financiers, orchestrators and abetters of violence and anarchy.”

He deployed the military to back the police force’s security enforcement.

But EFF sees Ruto’s language as a demonstration of disregard for Kenyans’ grievances.

“This oppressive response highlights the President's willingness to resort to deadly force to push through his Finance Bill, which clearly serves the interests of Western powers at the expense of his own citizens,” reads the statement.

“Deploying the military against your own people is simply unethical. The role of the military is to protect the nation, not to confront unarmed protesters with legitimate grievances.”

The party urged President Ruto to stop “the violent suppression of protesters, withdraw the military and police from the streets, and engage in meaningful dialogue with the citizens of Kenya.”

“The EFF stands in solidarity with the people of Kenya in their struggle against oppressive governance and economic exploitation,” Malema’s party said.

Tuesday’s demonstrations culminated in violent scenes as crowds broke through police lines and breached Parliament buildings in Nairobi after legislators passed the bill, which now awaits presidential assent to become law.

The ceremonial mace, which symbolizes the authority of the legislature, was stolen, some parts of the parliament building vandalised and a section of it set on fire.

Police fired live ammunition at the mob, killing at least five people and injuring over 30 others, according to Amnesty International.

Over 125 people were injured in the day’s events, the human rights organisation HAKI Africa said.

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday urged Kenyan authorities to restrain from violence and pave the way for peaceful demonstrations.

Moussa Faki, the African Union Commission chairperson, urged stakeholders to exercise calm and welcome constructive dialogue.