Parallels between #EndSARS in Nigeria and Kenya anti-Finance Bill protests offer new insights into patterns of protest emerging in Africa writes Boluwatife Solomon Ajibola.

In the past few weeks, the streets of Kenya have been the scene of angry youths demonstrating against the government’s Finance Bill. The government’s tax reform included a proposal to raise the country’s tax-to-GDP ratio from 13.5 per cent to 20 per cent, with the burden falling on citizens.

A backdrop to this is Kenya’s large public debt which is in excess of 70 per cent of Kenya’s GDP. Commentators also blame failed Western financial prescriptions and austerity which mostly disproportionately affect the poor. For example, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has prescribed that Kenya has the potential to increase its tax-to-GDP ratio up to 25 per cent. Whilst this could be theoretically admissible, it was on the Kenyan government to appeal to the on-the-ground realities and grievances of Kenyans.

The finance bill was a final straw for Kenyans, many of whom were already overburdened by the high cost of living, which has only increased since President Ruto assumed office in 2022. Many feared that the plight of average Kenyans would be worsened by the policy. There were also concerns about the Bill’s potential negative effects to key sectors of the economy such as transport, manufacturing, retail and finance.

The movement against the Bill began online and took on a life of its own in unprecedented street protests. The protests ultimately forced President Ruto to withdraw the bill. But they created a crisis of legitimacy and tested democracy fundamentals with calls for the entire government to be replaced. The protests also provided a lens for the appreciation of fundamental human rights and freedoms in Kenya, and to critique the policing of protests. These create an additional opportunity to draw parallels between the protests in Kenya and Nigeria’s #EndSARS.

Expanding the narrative

The Kenyan protests bear much resemblance to the #EndSARS protests in Nigeria. In October 2020, Nigerian youths took to the streets to protest police brutality and extrajudicial killings perpetrated by SARS, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (a unit of the Nigerian Police Force). The #EndSARS protests saw Nigerian youths mobilise in ways not seen in past protests.

During the #EndSARS protests, ‘SARS’ became a metaphor and poignant representation for other socio-economic ills. The remit of the protests expanded from an initial five-point agenda to an overwhelming expression of public displeasure against misgovernance in the country. A popular Nigerian Bishop, Bishop Chris Kwakpovwe, commented at the time: “#EndSARS protest is beyond police brutality, it’s a manifestation of years of anger, neglect and a general explosion and President Buhari must listen to Nigerian youth to avoid greater damage because there’s serious suffering in the land”.

Similarly, the protests in Kenya are not just about the Finance Bill. They came to represent a wider discontent with the government on a number of issues, such as the government’s high debt profile, unfulfilled promises, and government insensitivity to the plight of Kenyans. Some argue that the protests were fuelled by longstanding grievances against the government, which led to it morphing into a campaign for more accountable governance in the country.

There have been public demonstrations of anger against corrupt leadership and governance that they feel are out of touch with the realities of most Kenyans. Protesters expressed their distaste for the cost of governance, exemplified by the extravagant lifestyle of many politicians. Government officials enjoy multiple benefits and allowances but comfortably impose austerity on the public. Eventually, the demands of the protesters evolved to a call for the resignation of President Ruto, even after the president withdrew the finance bill and proceeded to dismiss almost his entire cabinet.

Police repression and protest disruptions

When protests grow significantly in scale, there are several forces that can tip them from a peaceful demonstration to something more violent. These can come from the protesting side (through damage to people or property), or from the state (through police repression, counter-protests, or the recruitment of fake protesters tasked with causing trouble), or both.

Kenya and Nigeria both witnessed state-sanctioned violence against protesters. As the Kenyan protesters became emboldened and moved to challenge the state, the Kenyan riot police responded with crackdowns. The police used tear gas, water cannons, and live rounds. Over 39 deaths have so far been recorded during the protests. On 25 June, protesters overpowered the police and breached the heavily fortified Kenyan parliament building. They invaded the building, damaged items in the chambers and set part of the parliament alight. In response, the police opened fire on the demonstrators. At least 361 protesters were injured, and hundreds arrested.

During #EndSARS in 2020, the Nigerian Police Force used water cannons and tear gas to disperse crowds. Police shot at protesters in Osogbo and Ibadan. And, in perhaps the most infamous incident of the protest, The Nigerian Army and Police opened fire on peaceful protesters at the Lekki Tollgate.

Both protests were, at least in some way, hijacked by unscrupulous elements. A major manifestation of this was looting. During #EndSARS, lootings were witnessed in at least nine states. In Kenya cities, shops and markets were also hit by massive lootings.

Such masked elements who wittingly pursue personal or group interests, to the detriment of the movement, were visible in both Kenya and Nigeria. Their actions do not advance the movement’s cause, and at the same time strike hard on the state (infrastructure, politicians, economy). The state then responds with force, attributing such attacks to the movement, casting a blight on their cause. Some commentators have argued that some of these elements are sponsored by the state and are used to tarnish the movement’s cause.

Overall, the commonalities and differences in the Kenya and #EndSARS protests provide interesting evidence for understanding protest dynamics in African democracies.

Movements with high mobilisation in Africa draw on a deep, pervasive, and multipronged sense of dissatisfaction. In both Nigeria and Kenya, a singular protested issue became one that reflected a much larger and more complex package of issues that affect many in society, resulting in a protest that took on a life of its own and outlived the initial issue that started the protest, to begin with.

Photo credit: Tavia Nyong’o used with permission CC BY 2.0