Hours after Tuesday’s demonstrations, which saw hundreds of youth face off against the police, the government agreed to make concessions, rolling back several of the tax hikes laid out in a new bill NAIROBI: Thousands of young demonstrators took to the streets across Kenya on Thursday to protest tax hikes, blowing whistles and chanting slogans in a vivid show of anger by Gen-Z protesters against the government. Police in Nairobi fired tear gas and water cannon against groups of protesters near parliament, but apart from isolated scuffles earlier in the day, the action — dubbed “Occupy Parliament” — remained mostly peaceful. Led largely by young Kenyans, the demonstrations began in Nairobi on Tuesday before spreading nationwide on Thursday. They have galvanized widespread discontent over President William Ruto’s economic policies in a country already grappling with a cost-of-living crisis. Hours after Tuesday’s demonstrations, which saw hundreds of youth face off against the police, the government agreed to make concessions, rolling back several of the tax hikes laid out in a new bill. However, the government still intends to proceed with some tax increases and has defended the proposed levies necessary for filling its coffers and cutting reliance on external borrowing. On Thursday, protests were held across Kenya, with thousands assembling across Nairobi, the Indian Ocean city of Mombasa, the Rift Valley city of Nakuru, and the opposition bastion of Kisumu, according to images broadcast on TV. Isolated scuffles broke out in Nairobi between protesters and police, who used tear gas and water cannons at demonstrators gathering near the parliament, which began debating the bill on Wednesday. Despite a heavy police presence and roadblocks along several roads leading to parliament, hundreds of protesters gathered in groups, blowing whistles and vuvuzelas, waving placards and chanting: “Ruto must go.” Ivy, a 26-year-old job seeker dressed in a T-shirt and leggings, said she was prompted to protest for the first time on Thursday because she was “scared” for her future. “This bill cannot pass. This bill is going to finish us. We don’t have jobs. We cannot even open businesses. We cannot do anything in this country,” she said. Another first-time protester, Bella, said she had shown up “to ensure the finance bill is rejected.” The 22-year-old university graduate said she was “not impressed” with the government’s concessions earlier this week. On Tuesday, the presidency announced the removal of proposed levies on bread purchases, car ownership, and financial and mobile services, prompting a warning from the treasury of a 200-billion-shilling shortfall due to budget cuts. The government has now targeted an increase in fuel prices and export taxes to fill the void left by the changes, a move critics say will make life more expensive in a country already battling high inflation. “They are just trying to lie to us. The taxes they have removed on bread they have added somewhere else,” Bella said, describing it as a tactic to “blindfold” citizens. A parliament source said that a vote on the proposals was expected on June 27, three days before the deadline for passing the bill. The taxes were projected to raise 346.7 billion shillings ($2.7 billion), equivalent to 1.9 percent of GDP, and reduce the budget deficit from 5.7 percent to 3.3 percent. The protest in Nairobi on Tuesday saw black-clad protesters forced into cat-and-mouse chases with police who fired volleys of teargas. At least 335 people were arrested, according to a consortium of lobby groups, including the Human Rights Commission, KNCHR, and Amnesty Kenya. “We have changed tack. Today, we will be in colorful and defiant clothing to avoid a repeat of them arresting everyone in black,” said an organizer of the march, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisals. Kenya is one of the most dynamic economies in East Africa, but a third of its 51.5 million people live in poverty. Overall inflation has remained stubbornly high, at an annual rate of 5.1 percent in May, while food and fuel inflation stood at 6.2 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively, according to central bank data.