Former US President Barack Obama’s half-sister, Auma Obama, was tear gassed live on air by the police while protesting Kenya’s controversial finance bill on June 25, CNN reported. The incident occurred while she was giving an interview to CNN.
“I can’t even see anymore, we’re being teargassed,” Obama said in a video recorded by a CNN team on the ground. Auma is a Kenyan-British activist and she was interviewed by CNN’s Larry Madowo along with a cohort of young protesters when they were dispersed by tear gas in Nairobi.
Why are Kenyans protesting?
Kenya is experiencing widespread protests against proposed tax increases, leading to a planned “total shutdown” of the country. The protests, ignited by the Finance Bill 2024, have mobilized citizens under the banner of “7 Days of Rage,” marking a period of ongoing unrest in the nation.
“I’m here because look at what’s happening. Young Kenyans are demonstrating for their rights. They are demonstrating with flags and banners,” Auma said.
President William Ruto had said he wanted to establish a dialogue with the protestors and that he was “proud” of them. Meanwhile, reports have suggested that the security forces have allegedly abducted prominent Kenyans, particularly those who with a siginficant social media following.
Amnesty International Kenya is currently investigating the disappearance of up to 12 individuals who were allegedly abducted overnight before Tuesday’s scheduled protests.
Amnesty Kenya executive director Irũngũ Houghton told CNN, “We are horrified by some of the testimonies we have heard over the last 24 hours. We have about 12 people unaccounted for who have been picked up, in many cases, by people who are uninformed or not uniformed.” “We are now seeing not just abductions but disappearances,” he added.