Kenyan celebrities join protests against proposed tax bill

Kenyans, including several celebrities, took to the streets of Nairobi on Tuesday, June 18th, to protest the controversial Finance Bill 2024.

Social media hashtags like #RejectFinanceBill2024 and #OccupyParliament reflected the public anger towards the proposed tax measures.

Actress Jackie Matubia, visibly emotional, shared a video on Instagram after being teargassed by police.

“Mimi nimzalendo Leo nimekula teargas…I did it for everyone who couldn’t do it. May our voices as youth of this country be heard… #rejectthefinancebill,” she wrote.

Matubia further criticized the bill, stating, "Imagine imposing TAX on CANCER TREATMENT!!! On PADS, sasa tusinyeshe?

Content creator Murugi Munyi also faced tear gas during the protests. Sharing photos on Instagram, Munyi recounted the chaotic aftermath.

“We were running. I fell. My cousin came to pick me up. A tear gas canister exploded right next to us. I couldn’t breathe. So I couldn’t run. Before I knew it, a policeman manhandling me. Now we are at the back of a police van with a man who wasn’t even protesting, He was just entering his car,” she wrote.

A video circulating on social media showed Murugi and other women being led into a police vehicle after their arrest.

Singer Atemi Oyungu wasn't spared either. She tweeted about being repeatedly teargassed while trying to find cover.

"We were so boxed in. Hiding and coming out only to be teargassed again. Si these people could have just allowed us to walk? We weren’t destroying property. We had given ample notice. Get my second dose of teargas after this!" she wrote on X.

The protests, dubbed "Occupy Parliament," resulted in clashes between demonstrators and police throughout Nairobi's Central Business District.

By the end of the day, police had arrested numerous protesters, including activists Hanifa Adan and Njeri wa Migwi, many of whom were taken to the Central Police Station.