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Kenya

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The sister and niece of Barack Obama were tear-gassed during protests in Kenya’s capital city during a live broadcast. 
Protesters filled the streets of Nairobi on Tuesday (June 25), in fierce opposition to a new tax policy levied by the government after a controversial vote. The protests became more tense and violent after the military was summoned, and the elder half-sister of former President Barack Obama, activist Auma Obama, and his niece, Akinyi Obama-Manners, were caught up in a wave of tear gas deployed by police as they were being interviewed by CNN’s international correspondent Larry Madowo. The moment was captured live as Obama explained that she was compelled to take part in the protests because “young Kenyans are demonstrating for their rights.”

“I can’t even see anymore. We are being tear-gassed…” Obama continued as the entire group was subdued by the wave of tear gas, forcing them to leave the scene. “This is one of the most heavy military responses I have seen,” Madowo said on-air, noting the heavy military response to the unarmed protesters turning the streets of Nairobi into “what appears to be a war zone.”
The interview resumed over a minute later, as the 64-year-old activist told Meadow, “I can’t believe that these young people are just trying to demonstrate for their rights… and we are being tear-gassed. We have flags and banners, nothing else.” She went on to describe how the new tax policies – which include a 16% sales tax on bread and a 25% tax increase on cooking oil – would particularly hurt the younger generation of Kenyans. “Over 50% of our population who are under 35 have no jobs. We cannot tax them when they have no jobs,” Obama said.
Protesters would seize access to parts of Kenya’s parliament building at the height of the protests. However, the protests would result in 23 people reported killed by the police, with 50 people alleged to have been abducted by security forces, according to Faith Odhiambo, the president of the Law Society of Kenya. President Rufo addressed the nation and declared that he would not sign the bill in the wake of the violence. “Listening keenly to the people of Kenya who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this finance bill, I concede, and therefore, I will not sign the 2024 finance bill, and it shall subsequently be withdrawn,” he said in a speech aired on Wednesday (June 26).

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Kelvin Kiptum, the world record holder in the men’s marathon died in a car crash in his native Kenya over the weekend.
According to reports, the men’s marathon world record holder and rising long-distance running star Kelvin Kiptum died in a car crash in his native Kenya on Sunday (February 11) along with his coach, Gervais Hakizimana of Rwanda. Kiptum was 24 years old. A spokesperson for the police said that the crash occurred at 11 P.M. local time in the town of Kapsabet in Western Kenya. In relaying details of the one-car crash, they revealed Kiptum “lost control [of the vehicle] and veered off-road entering into a ditch on his left side”.  The car then hit a tree, killing Kiptum and Hakizimana instantly. A third person, a 24-year-old woman, was severely injured and taken to the hospital.

Kiptum was a fast-rising star in the world of distance running, having set an astonishing record at the Chicago Marathon of two hours and 35 seconds, beating out compatriot Eliud Kipchoge in only his third competitive race. Kiptum had just been named to the Kenyan National Team along with Kipchoge, with many expecting him to attain the gold medal at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris. Hakizimana and Kiptum’s team had also stated their goal of having Kiptum run the 26 miles in under two hours at the Rotterdam Marathon this April. Kipchoge paid homage to Kiptum in a post on X, formerly Twitter, writing in part that he “had a whole life ahead of him to achieve incredible greatness.”

Kiptum was from the area around Kaspabet, regarded as the premier training grounds for the best long-distance runners in the world due to its high altitudes. The father of two started running on the road instead of beginning on the track as most distance runners do, because of a lack of resources. “I had no money to travel to track sessions,” he told the BBC in an interview last year.
Kenyan President William Rufo also offered his condolences in a statement, saying: “Kiptum was our future.” The death of the young runner is another tragic chapter in the history of Kenyan runners who’ve died in car accidents. David Lelei, the silver medalist from the All-Africa Games, died in a crash in 2010. The 2015 World Championship gold medalist Nicholas Bett, died in a crash in 2018. Marathon runner Francis Kiplagat also lost his life in a crash in 2018.