Anti-tax protesters fear for their lives as threats spread

Youths participate in anti-Finance Bill protests in Nakuru. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Young people who have been taking part in the anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests in Nakuru County have been receiving threats through messages and calls from unknown numbers in the past few days.

Three of them came out Monday to share their predicament with The Standard, saying their lives were in danger.

They claimed to have received threats through their social media accounts, claiming some of those threatening them were police in plain cloths and were moving around in unmarked vehicles.

Dennis Kayana, a long-time human rights activist in the county, says he was visited by unknown people over the weekend.

He says six men in vehicle whose number plate had been concealed and two others on an unmarked motorcycle went to his residence.

“Eight unidentified men, whom I suspect are police officers, came to look for me where I stay," Kayana said.

Kayana was, however, not at home as he had gone to the hospital to visit victims who were shot in last week’s protests.

He says he has also been receiving numerous calls from unknown numbers, some of which appear as private numbers.

Another victim, who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons, said she has been receiving threats on her social media accounts because of her continuous posts against the government.

Last week, during the hyped protests, someone hiding behind a pseudo account sent her message on Facebook messenger threatening to rape her daughter, who is in pre-primary school, if she did not put a stop to her anti-government posts on social media platforms.

“Once we are done with our politicians, we will come for you and your daughter. We will rape you and your daughter, watch this space. We know which schools she goes and we will go for her," read one of the messages in part.

Mercy Njeri says an unmarked white car with three occupants and a concealed number plate has been trailing her ever since the first protest.

“The current wave of abductions and disappearances of our fellows is scary," she said