Violent protests in Kenya continue in opposition to rising cost of living– BBC News

 now let's move on and talk to you about

another situation in Kenya protesters

have thrown rocks at police at the start

of three days of demonstrations against

the cost of living and tax hikes schools

and businesses across several cities are

closed as the country's main opposition

leader raila odinga called for people to

take to the streets while Kenya has

suffered election-related Conflict for

decades with the worst happening after a

2007 vote where more than a thousand

people died well let's cross live now

and speak to Patrick guthara who's a

journalist and political analyst who

joins me from Nairobi and I think we

have Patrick Patrick just update us on

what the situation is in Kenya right now

um well the projects are on um is

happening um in many of the towns around

the country

um I think if you go around the

um main centers um lots of them are

deserted uh

uh there is a a huge police presence

that's um kind of trying to stop what is

us getting into uh the central based

business districts of this uh of this

town

um so yeah so there's already been some

clashes a few people I think have been

injured um I understand at least two or

three have been shot some politicians

have been arrested uh some of the

leaders of the protests so I'm still

unfolding I think as we get into the

afternoon

um uh traditionally that's when it

really kicks off so we'll see what

happens Patrick what is it that people

are angry about give us a flavor of what

life is like in Kenya now for so many

people

well I mean initially to understand the

protests themselves initially were

called by the uh uh the losing uh

candidate in last year's election to

protest the election itself

um but didn't really gonna much public

uh support but they have now morphed

more into a protest about the cost of

living

um and the government's perceived

um uh deafness to people's appeals

um to do something about it to bring it

down

um so a few weeks ago we had uh uh the

government produce its budget and uh

really sought to raise uh taxes to

double taxes on fuel which would uh put

up the price of everything

um and I think that's really what's

energized

um uh people to join this this brought

us and we weren't seeing

um uh losing opposition candidate

um essentially drop his demands for a

review of the election

um and make this all about uh the cost

of living so I think that's what's

really driving uh the demand for this

and uh we're waiting to see whether

eventually there will be

um some some sort of discussion about

how people can come together and what

can actually be done whether the

government will drop its budget and its

finance bill and its proposed uh

increase in taxes

um and perhaps try and find another way

I'd raise the money it needs

okay Patrick gathara it's good good to

talk to you thank you very much indeed

for talking to us the journalist and

political commentator uh based in

Nairobi on those protests in Kenya