Kenyans hold demos outside IMF headquarters in Washington DC
- Published By Jedida Barasa For The Statesman Digital
- 5 months ago
A group of Kenyans in Washington DC, in the US on Saturday held demonstrations outside International Monetary Fund (IMF) offices.
Protestors, dressed in the colours of the national flag and carrying it, chanted anti-IMF slogans. The group also played Kenyan music, drawing the attention of passersby.
The group was seen holding placards and accusing the multilateral lender of interfering in Kenya's internal affairs. Additionally, the protestors asked the IMF to take responsibility for the violence witnessed during the protests.
"IMF Set Kenya Free" read one of the placards with a Kenyan flag. "We Demand Transparency. Kenya 1st, IMF Last" read another placard.
IMF was also accused crippling Kenya with billions worth of loans that the country could not repay. Kenyans demanded an end to this so that the nation could live within its means as most of the loans are not spent to develop the country.
One of the protestors added that the Kenyans had raised concerns about the IMF not only after the Finance Bill 2024 was unveiled but way back in 2018. He complained that the lender was responsible for the increasing taxes burdening a majority of Kenyans.
"We are the headquarters today because of the IMF-inspired finance bill which has resulted in the death of 53 people. We want to warn the IMF of the loan shark habits they have of colluding with African leaders specifically William Samoei Ruto giving them loans and making them have austerity measures in other key areas such as education, and healthcare," another protestor stated.
The Kenyans in the diaspora also discredited the austerity measures announced by President William Ruto days ago. They argued that the measures were not enough to address the concerns raised by Kenyans.
Furthermore, the protesters condoled with the families of those Kenyans who lost their lives during the anti-government protests that began on June 18 across the country.
They also asked the new cabinet to draft ways to end corruption instead of relying on loans from international lenders such as the IMF and World Bank. President Ruto is expected to announce a full list of the new Cabinet Secretaries soon.
Notably, these protests follow weeks of heated demonstrations in the country with Kenyans back at home also accusing the IMF of being behind the controversial Finance Bill 2024.
On June 27, the IMF responded to the unrest in Kenya and vowed to continue working closely with Kenya. The Bretton-Woods institution stated that it was closely monitoring the situation in the country.
"Our thoughts are with all the people affected by the turmoil in the country," read a statement from the international organisation.
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