Kenyans in Nairobi Protest Controversial Tax Bill.
Things got heated in Kenya's capital on June 25, 2024. Many people in Nairobi were upset about a new finance Bill. The Bill wanted to raise taxes. They didn't like that idea at all.
The people went to Parliament to protest. At first, things were calm. But then some people got out of control. They broke through security and went inside Parliament. This forced President William Ruto to get rid of the Bill. He said he would not sign it into law.
The protests spread to other parts of Kenya, too. Shops and businesses in Nairobi had to close because they were afraid people might damage or steal their things. Sadly, this did happen in some places. People who just wanted to cause trouble hid in the crowds. They broke into stores, stole property, and wrecked buildings, costing businesses millions of shillings.
One part of Nairobi called Eastleigh got lucky. It has many busy shops and malls. On the same day the protests got bad, things stayed pretty calm there. This was thanks to the Eastleigh Business District Association (EBDA), which worked with the local police to keep everyone safe.
There were many police on the streets of Eastleigh that day. They walked around key areas to ensure things stayed under control. The EBDA told shop owners and residents not to worry.
Shops and malls in Eastleigh stayed open, and public buses kept running. People could still go shopping at places like Bangkok Mall and Yare Mall. Restaurants served food as always.
A few days later, on June 27th, some people tried to cause trouble in Eastleigh. They wanted to steal from the shops. They came on motorbikes and threw rocks. Shop owners had to close up quickly. Some stood outside to stop people from breaking in.
The police rushed over. They used tear gas to make the crowds leave. Later, another group came and started fighting with some young people from the neighborhood. The young people wanted to protect their homes and shops. Things got tense. Rocks were thrown.
For a few minutes, the troublemakers and the youth actually joined together. They yelled, "Ruto must go!" But then the police came again with more tear gas. One of the tear gas cans hit and broke a window at Madina Mall.
The police and the local youth clashed for a bit, but finally, the people trying to start trouble left. No shops in Eastleigh were actually robbed or damaged. By the end of the day, things were back in order.
After that, business was a little slow in Eastleigh for a couple of months. Not as many customers came, but Eastleigh didn't have any more big problems during the rest of the protests.
To help calm things down, President Ruto fired his whole Cabinet. He talked straight to Kenyans on social media, making promises and sharing plans to fix their complaints. Slowly, the protests across Kenya started to fade away.
Shops in Eastleigh focused on getting back to normal. They hoped things in the country would settle down. In the months that followed, business started to get better again.
Things got heated in Kenya's capital on June 25, 2024. Many people in Nairobi were upset about a new finance Bill. The Bill wanted to raise taxes. They didn't like that idea at all.
The people went to Parliament to protest. At first, things were calm. But then some people got out of control. They broke through security and went inside Parliament. This forced President William Ruto to get rid of the Bill. He said he would not sign it into law.
The protests spread to other parts of Kenya, too. Shops and businesses in Nairobi had to close because they were afraid people might damage or steal their things. Sadly, this did happen in some places. People who just wanted to cause trouble hid in the crowds. They broke into stores, stole property, and wrecked buildings, costing businesses millions of shillings.
One part of Nairobi called Eastleigh got lucky. It has many busy shops and malls. On the same day the protests got bad, things stayed pretty calm there. This was thanks to the Eastleigh Business District Association (EBDA), which worked with the local police to keep everyone safe.
There were many police on the streets of Eastleigh that day. They walked around key areas to ensure things stayed under control. The EBDA told shop owners and residents not to worry.
Shops and malls in Eastleigh stayed open, and public buses kept running. People could still go shopping at places like Bangkok Mall and Yare Mall. Restaurants served food as always.
A few days later, on June 27th, some people tried to cause trouble in Eastleigh. They wanted to steal from the shops. They came on motorbikes and threw rocks. Shop owners had to close up quickly. Some stood outside to stop people from breaking in.
The police rushed over. They used tear gas to make the crowds leave. Later, another group came and started fighting with some young people from the neighborhood. The young people wanted to protect their homes and shops. Things got tense. Rocks were thrown.
For a few minutes, the troublemakers and the youth actually joined together. They yelled, "Ruto must go!" But then the police came again with more tear gas. One of the tear gas cans hit and broke a window at Madina Mall.
The police and the local youth clashed for a bit, but finally, the people trying to start trouble left. No shops in Eastleigh were actually robbed or damaged. By the end of the day, things were back in order.
After that, business was a little slow in Eastleigh for a couple of months. Not as many customers came, but Eastleigh didn't have any more big problems during the rest of the protests.
To help calm things down, President Ruto fired his whole Cabinet. He talked straight to Kenyans on social media, making promises and sharing plans to fix their complaints. Slowly, the protests across Kenya started to fade away.
Shops in Eastleigh focused on getting back to normal. They hoped things in the country would settle down. In the months that followed, business started to get better again.
