In Kenya, heightened socioeconomic grievances and rising public discontent over the government's increasingly repressive tactics to curb dissent will hinder President William Ruto's ability to quickly reduce the country's fiscal deficit and portend recurring deadly protests ahead of the 2027 general elections. On July 8, Kenya's National Commission on Human Rights said that at least 31 people were killed and 107 wounded amid Kenyan law enforcement's crackdown on nationwide marches on July 7 to commemorate the 1990 ''Saba Saba'' pro-democracy protests. The deadly unrest was the latest in a series of violent demonstrations in the country following the murder of activist Albert Ojwang on June 8 while he was in police custody. Although turnout at protests to denounce Ojwang's death was initially limited, the movement capitalized on the commemoration of the 2024 ''Gen Z'' protests to hold nationwide demonstrations on June 25, with the subsequent crackdown by law enforcement resulting...
