What is happening in Kenya? A crisis with precedents.

Recent Events: Kenya's Tax Bill and Protests

On June 25, Kenyan police opened fire on protesters opposing a tax bill that led to at least 23 dead and around 300 injured.

The law, passed by parliament the same day, aimed to raise funds to pay off national debt and finance electricity supply projects and agricultural subsidies, despite potentially adverse economic impact on millions. In response, citizens stormed parliament, demanding its rejection in a massive civil mobilization not seen in decades.

Among the taxes planned under the bill were a 5% increase in bank transfer fees, a 16% hike in the VAT, 25% on vegetable oil, and 2.5% on motor vehicles. It also proposed raising prices for personal hygiene products, digital products, and recording equipment.

In response to public outcry and amendments to the bill, the government deployed the military, resulting in clashes with citizens and the use of tear gas, causing further loss of life.

Amid widespread dissatisfaction and criticism over human rights violations, including an assessment by Kenya's National Commission on Human Rights, President William Ruto announced the repeal of the financial bill the next day, acknowledging lack of consensus from his presidential campaign in support of citizens against high prices.

Social, Political, and Economic Situation in Kenya: A Colonial Legacy

Conflict and insecurity persist in the north of the country due to its history as a British colony and protectorate, leaving a legacy characterized by oppressive governments. However, under the British imperialist formula, Kenya became one of East Africa's strongest economies in subsequent years, with a dynamic private sector and vast natural resources.

On the other hand, Kenya faces a complex reality marked by high levels of poverty, exclusion, and widespread inequality, a consequence of poor government management, constant violence, and its tumultuous history.

Analysis of Kenya's Situation from a Postcolonial Perspective

The country's economic situation is a direct result of British colonial legacy and domination, influenced by the British East Africa Company from 1920. During this period, the British administration took control of the Kikuyu populations, the majority ethnic group in Kenya, and dispossessed them of their lands.

In response, the Kikuyus and other Kenyan ethnic groups faced resistance, including the Mau Mau rebellion, which played a crucial role in Kenya's liberation from British rule.

However, despite Kenya's independence in 1963 bringing state autonomy, the British legacy persists today in the country's political, economic, and social spheres.

The current heightened violence in Kenya is largely due to the Kenyan people's quest for autonomy post-independence, marked by severe oppression, imprisonment of leaders, and various human rights violations, including executions, torture, and mutilations, a reality that persists.

Furthermore, all three dimensions were affected by the consolidation of the British primary-export model implemented in both Kenya and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa. This model included changes in the productive structure of a dual agricultural economy, the establishment of European settlers who dispossessed the native population to establish plantations, the exploitation of African productive culture through social and gender segregation, and benefited settlers in terms of production and export.

The result was a lack of adaptability of the state to international market behavior, with oversupply, demand shortages, and price instability in products, elements that are prominent in today's Kenya and have led to various economic reforms rejected by the population, such as the recent financial bill proposal.

On the other hand, social structure changes significantly harmed the African population, mainly due to the displacement of the Kikuyu ethnic group, who began to differentiate based on land access, a phenomenon similar to that of the Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda, exacerbating social and gender stratification in Africa.

Finally, the emergence of an authoritarian and repressive political system sought to address social discontent generated by segregation within the same community.

Today, under this premise, Kenya's reality can be seen as simply an evolution of the postcolonial context of the African state. Persistent violence in the region has exacerbated Kenya's vulnerable situation, already affected by various threats, including the presence of regional terrorism like Al Shabab, an active organization in the Horn of Africa seeking to establish an Islamic state in Somalia and carrying out violent incursions in Kenya, threatening the country's political stability.

On the other hand, the complex social situation, characterized by a wide gap of inequality among the population, is closely linked to the weak economy of the country. This situation is a result of an inefficient colonial economic system, now even more fragile due to the effects of COVID-19 on the Kenyan market and the recent dismantling of the financial bill. This context is not an unprecedented attack but rather a cumulative effect of decades of economic, political, and social history in the African nation.