Boniface Mwangi: Who stands to benefit from violence during anti-tax protests?

Activist Boniface Mwangi took to X to lament what unfolded on Tuesday during the protests. Here is his statement:

My wife Njeri and l couldn’t sleep, along with I believe many other Kenyans, just thinking about what happened Tuesday and wondering what comes next. We have tossed and turned all night in grief.

It’s a dark day of mourning for our country. Parents are mourning the loss of their children. Children have lost their parents. Many have lost property through the plunder and senseless destruction. We have many wounded across the country, whose lives have forever been altered.

My heart is heavy with grief and sadness. We have been here before. Many times. Where citizens complaining or protesting of particular grievances are targeted, and punished, as the government ignores the cries and concerns of its people.

What makes Tuesday particularly horrifying is the events that led to that particular protest. There were two very peaceful protests last week. No matter the provocation by the police, the peaceful protestors did not respond to the violence meted against them. They exercised their right as enshrined in the Constitution, peacefully and unarmed.

The same could not be said of the police. Rex Kanyeki was shot after the protest had ended, and people were attempting to return to their homes. The police chased and shot him as he was fleeing – there was no threat to them. Rex died from excessive bleeding less than an hour later.

Tuesday’s protest was very simple, we go to Parliament and protest peacefully as Members of Parliament voted, but the plans to peacefully occupy Parliament didn’t involve invading it. Just like in the preceding two protests, there was to be no violence at all.

We woke up Tuesday morning to the news of abductions. A law-abiding State does not abduct its own people. People were angry and demanded the release of those who had been abducted during the night. The State appeared to have a plan aimed at provoking people.

We are in a country where the State and its political accomplices will finance and organise violence, and then turn around and blame innocent citizens. We’ve seen this happen many times before and the end-game is to justify a violent clamp-down by the State.

On Tuesday, there were pictures and posts circulating online saying that some ruling party politicians had hired goons to infiltrate the protests. Some of the crowd that was in the streets Tuesday were part of that group. Anyone who had attended the preceding protests could easily notice that.

After 4 pm, we started telling people to go home. l was punched in the face for requesting people to disperse, chased away by a crowd, and was only saved by running into the I & M building. l managed to get into the building thanks to the security guys who opened it for me.

My assault was captured by many people, and if you’re one of those who captured it, please share. Those who assaulted me wanted to break into I & M. The security footage from the building can collaborate with this.

The invasion of government buildings, and the fires that were lit all over the city and the rest of the country Tuesday, was definitely not the work of peaceful protesters but of paid goons. I have been an activist for more than 15 years, and l have never taken part in a violent protest.

I abhor violence in any shape or form. Even when l ran for office and was told I needed to have my own goons, l refused. I want to live and die with clean hands. I don’t want to ever be responsible for any loss of life. There is no success, wealth, or fame worth spilling someone’s blood to gain. It’s the reason why l have never attended a protest called by a politician in my adult life.

Back to Tuesday’s dark events. Police unlawfully shot live rounds at medics, journalists, and peaceful protestors, killing several and injuring many more. Goons pelleted the police with stones and looted, and razed buildings. Those are all criminal activities and the perpetrators should be held accountable.

#RejectFinanceBill2024