A total of 39 people have been killed in anti-government protests in Kenya that erupted over deeply unpopular planned tax hikes, a national rights watchdog said on Monday.
"Data from our records indicates that 39 people have died and 361 injured in relation to the protests countrywide," the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said in a statement.
On Sunday, President William Ruto said in an interview with senior editors in Kenya that the number of those killed in the protests was 19, and not more.
Ruto said the death toll shared by KNCHR could not be depended on, suggesting that the agency had exaggerated the statistics.
President declines to sign finance bill
Anti-tax hike protests in Kenya, which were largely led by the youth, forced the Kenyan government to rescind its decision of imposing more taxes on the citizens.
President Ruto has since said he will not sign the controversial Finance Bill 2024 into law.
He has referred the bill back to parliament for formal withdrawal.
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