Live Blog: Anti- Finance Bill Protesters Set Sakaja’s Office on Fire

The Finance Bill 2024 has drawn opposition from sectors including politicians, religious leaders, and Kenyans at large under the hashtag #RejectFinanceBill2024.

Today, Tuesday, June 25, Members of Parliament (MPs) will vote on every clause of the contentious bill.

Meanwhile, Kenyans have vowed to take to the streets in different parts of the country to protest against the bill.

The youth-led demonstrations, dubbed a ‘Total Shutdown,’ are expected to bring business to a standstill in Nairobi and various towns across the country.

#Rejectfinancebill2024 — Anti-riot police officers in Nairobi CBD on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. PHOTO/The Kenya Times.

Anti-riot police have been deployed to various parts of the Nairobi CBD, the center stage of all the protests. Here’s is a real-time update on latest events in the anti-Finance Bill protests.

4.00pm: Anti-finance bill protesters have set Nairobi City Hall, which houses the Office of Governor Johnson Sakaja and Nairobi County Assembly on fire.

1:50pm: Kikuyu constituency residents have joined the anti-finance bill protests

1:41pm: Police officer injured during anti- Finance Bill protests in Mombasa.

1:45pm: Antin-Finance Bill protesters in Kericho bring down the wheelbarrow (UDA symbol).

12:37pm: Clergy try to control protesters during the anti-Finance Bill protests in Nairobi.

Auma Obama Teargassed

12:30pm: Auma Obama, the sister of former United States President Barack Obama, has been tear-gassed by police today in Nairobi as she joined demonstrators protesting in the streets.

The incident captured in a video shared by CNN, shows Auma addressing the press before abruptly running out of breath, causing the live broadcast to halt.

The protesters, including Auma, were unarmed, carrying only banners and smartphones as they marched through the streets.

“I can’t believe that these young people are simply trying to demonstrate for their rights, and I came to join them to let them know that we understand they need to use their voices, but we’ve been tear-gassed. We only had flags and banners, nothing else,” Auma lamented.

12:12pm: Protesters have blocked a police anti-riot water cannon in Nairobi CBD.

12:11pm: Anti-riot police and other volunteers put out bonfire lit by #rejectfinancebill2024 protesters in Kisumu.

12:09pm: Anti-Finance Bill protests kick off in Makueni, Nanyuki and Marsabit.

Also Read: LIVE UPDATES: Protests Kick Off in Migori & Kitengela

Police Shoot Rubber Bullets

11:50am: Police are shooting rubber bullets at protesters in Nairobi CBD. The bullets are being fired from the Chester House Building on Koinange Street. A male protester has sustained injuries and has been rushed to Jamia MedClinics Hospital.

11:0040am: Anti-Finance Bill protesters block Thika Road as demonstrations intensify.

Protesters light bonfire along Nairobi’s Kenyatta Avenue as they protest the Finance Bill.

11:24am: There are ambulances in Nairobi CBD attending to injured protesters.

11:005am: Police officers have thrown a tear gas canister inside an Enabled shuttle bus in Nairobi CBD. Several people have been injured. Some were forced to escape through the window while others were pulled out by good Samaritans.

10:35am: A protester has been injured during the engagement with police officers outside Naivas along Moi Avenue. The protestor has received assistance from a Nairobi City County Ambulance.

Ruto,#Rejectfinancebill2024 Protests — A photo of the Enable Bus teargassed during anti-finance bill protests on June 25, 2024. PHOTO/ The Kenya Times.

Mombasa, Nakuru & Kisumu Join #RejectFinanceBill2024 protests

10:30am: Protests kick off in Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Nyeri, Narok, Kakamega and Eldoret.

10:10am: Police patrol choppers deployed in Nairobi CBD as anti-finance bill protests begin in the capital.

10:05am: Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi asks IG Japhet Koome to explain the whereabouts of missing Kenyans Gabriel Oguda, Shad Khalif, Franje, Osama Otero, TemperCR7, Worldsmith, Harriet and Drey Mwangi.

10:00am: Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwa condemns abduction of anti-finance protesters. “We are beyond the days of abducting Kenyans, killing them, and dumping their bodies in River Yala. This will never happen again in this country. I will check with the IG to see whether Gabriel Oguda has been arrested by the police,” he said.

Also Read: Finance Bill Protests: Company Accused of Refilling Police Water Cannons Responds

Protestor Escapes from Police Vehicle

9:50am: Protester slips away from police to avoid arrest as #RejectFinanceBill2024 protests kick off in Nairobi. In a video, the protesters escape from the police truck and run into the crowd.

A few minutes past 9am, a couple of protesters had already been arrested. Businesses opened in Nairobi CBD but closed down after police started lobbing teargas to disperse protesters.

9:48am: Police officers have started arresting anti-Finance Bill demonstrators in Nairobi. In a video shared by Citizen TV, two siblings protect each other from arrest.

“I have done nothing wrong; we were just standing and then they came and held us. I have been held by two male police officers who mishandled me,” says one protester.

8:24am: Kenyan youth chant anti-Ruto slogans as #RejectFinanceBill2024 protests begin in Nairobi CBD.

7:30am: Uproar as Gabriel Oguda and more anti-finance bill protesters are allegedly arrested ahead of the protests.

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