Kenya’s deadly Gen-Z protests could change the country
Almost 40 people have died in violence
![A man reacts on the floor as Kenya Police officers arrest him at a demonstration](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240713_MAP002.jpg)
For weeks Kenya has been mired in unrest. Confronted with demonstrators denouncing the tax policies of William Ruto, Kenya’s president, the security forces responded ruthlessly. They have killed at least 39 people, most of them in Nairobi on June 25th, when protesters briefly overran Parliament and set a portion of it ablaze. Looting has also erupted in several towns and cities, though it is unclear whether this was by state-backed provocateurs, as the protesters allege, or by opportunist criminals, as Mr Ruto claims.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Zacchaeus climbs down”
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