Countries located in Africa’s four cardinal points are witnessing a great deal of unrest across the continent, with another anticipated protest scheduled for tomorrow, by ODM Leader Raila Odinga.
Kenya in the East, South Africa in the south, Nigeria in the west, and Tunisia in the north — with a combined total population of about 343 million — have held demonstrations against the high cost of living, corruption, election fraud, and also seeking constitutional reforms.
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Led by their opposition leaders, the people have taken to the streets to protest their respective Presidents’ lack of action to address the economic and political challenges facing their countries.
Kenyans angry their president, who they refer to as a “hustler,” lied to them
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Raila Odinga, the leader of Kenya’s opposition party ODM, and a candidate who came in second place in what he terms as a ‘stolen election’, in the recent general elections, has led protests against what he deemed to be a deliberate increase in the cost of living today, by an illegitimate administration, led by William Ruto.
Also Read: Raila Odinga Accuses Ruto of Reinstating Nyayo Regime
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This increase, he claimed, was caused by new taxes and an inability to control inflation, and corruption.
In a recent poll, The Kenya Times has learnt that a great number of Kenyans have leveled accusations that their President, William Ruto is picking the pockets of the less fortunate.
“He pretended to be a hustler much like us, but in reality, he has brought us farther lower than we were before”
“We voted for him because we believed he would lower the cost of living, but instead he is making everyone’s life and business more challenging and miserable,” Rodgers Kimutai, a small-scale trader in the capital city of Nairobi, lamented.
Also Read: Six TV Stations Risk License Revocation over Coverage of Azimio Protests
Raila Odinga has continued to assert that he won the presidential election that took place in August, last year, and has stated that he will never recognize Ruto as a legitimate leader. He has demanded that the electoral body IEBC, reinstate the four commissioners that were removed from their positions by Ruto’s.
Despite the government terming the demonstrations as illegal, the rallies have proceeded as planned throughout the country of 53 million people, with running battles both in the nation’s capital and in Kisumu, a western lakeside city that serves as Odinga’s political backyard.
Kenya’s currency has been in a “free-fall” since the beginning of the year, combined with a severe scarcity of dollars, which has driven up both the price of fuel and the cost of production.
South Africans suffering
Julius Malema, head of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party in South Africa, has also rallied citizens in a number of locations around the country to call for the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa in response to an ongoing series of economic crises that have befallen the nation.
Even before the start of the demonstrations, at least 87 people had been arrested for alleged acts of public violence across the country. A large number of police officers and soldiers were sent in to put a stop to illegal, ‘criminal behavior’ and preserve public order.
♦️In Pictures♦️
The community of EThekwini has come out in their numbers to join the #NationalShutdown.
We can no longer sit back and do nothing, let us go out in our numbers and join the ground forces in fighting for our Country and demand that #RamaphosaMustGo pic.twitter.com/c6lVTiH5JR
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) March 20, 2023
Under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa, the economy of South Africa has been in a continuous decline, and there is no sign that it will ever recover.
The nation of 59 million people is currently experiencing a severe energy crisis. According to Analysts, only this year’s load shedding might cost it a total of $13 billion.
Low confidence in Tinubu’s administration by Nigerians
Since February, when veteran politician Bola Tinubu was announced as the country’s new president, Nigeria has been in a state of upheaval.
Also Read: Raila Rubbishes Calls for a Truce, Promises Mother of all Protests Next Week
The opposition contends that the elections that resulted to Tinubu’s victory were marred by unfair practices and anomalies. Protests against the polls and the rising cost of living in the west African nation of 219 million have been led by the main opposition party candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.
Protests have sprung in Enugu very close to INEC Collation centre. Omo which way Nigeria? 🙄 #NigerianElections2023 #enugu pic.twitter.com/e6Jnc5AypG
— Raquel (@RaquelMygirl) March 20, 2023
As a result of a weakening currency, rising inflation, increased levels of insecurity, and an increase in the cost of living, Nigerians are barely making ends meeting. A great number of people are concerned that not much would alter as long as the party of the previous president Muhammadu Buhari stays in power.
Tunisian’s accuse President on grabbing Power
Thousands of Tunisians have also taken to the streets to demonstrate against what they see as President Kais Saied’s increasingly dictatorial administration. They believe that Saied orchestrated a coup in July by pushing for constitutional modifications that were unpopular, and want him to resign as a result.
They also accuse him of targeted opposition politicians, labor union figures, judges, a major businessman, and the head of an independent radio station in order to silence their voices. The Islamic Ennahdha party and a group calling itself “Citizens Against the Coup” have been mostly responsible for organizing the angry rallies that have taken place in this nation of 12 million people.
