Following the government’s announcement on Monday 24th June 2024, that they had allowed demonstrations to go on as long as they were peaceful, orderly and with no property destruction, several Kenyans went to the streets to protest the passing of the Financial Bill 2024.
Tuesday 25th June, the day of the massive protests dubbed ‘Occupy Parliament’, started well. Kenyans of all walks of life from different parts of the country came out to the streets to exercise their constitutional right to demonstrate.
Kibera residents came out massively to join their counterparts in the central business district, leaving their neighborhood of Kibra, peaceful through out the day.
Destruction of property was witnessed in the CBD, as the large number of protesters stormed into several government buildings.
A number of protesters were shot at the parliament buildings with several others injured both in and outside parliament.
There were reports of abductions and mass shootings in different parts of Nairobi later in the evening of that fateful day.
In the afternoon of Wednesday 26th June, President William Ruto yielded to pressure and announced that he had sent back the bill to parliament to be withdrawn in totality.
War of words erupted between the office of the Deputy President and the National Intelligence Service leadership, with the former accusing the later of failing to sufficiently inform the Presidency of the impending attack on government facilities, by the protesters.
