By Flavia Ajok
Over 500 Ugandan learners who study in Kenya are stuck at home after the government ordered closure of all schools due to the ongoing protests over ongoing countrywide protests.
Police fired live rounds at protesters yesterday, leading to the deaths of atleast five people and hundreds of injuries.
Beatrice Nabwire, is one of the affected parents whose children were sent home yesterday. She is uncertain about the fate of her children’s education.
“I have children who goes to St. marry primary in Kenya, yesterday they called us to pick them on Monday because of the protest yet we had recently cleared the school dues and it affects us,”Nabwire Narrated.
The protests have rocked the country for days as demonstrators express their rage against what they describe as punitive tax contained in the Finance Bill, 2024.
Protesters say the bill would impose unaffordable tax rises on ordinary citizens and businesses already weighed down by the high cost of living.
The government has dropped some of the contentious proposals but protestors want the entire bill scrapped.
Several truck drivers heading to Kenya remain stranded at the Busia border for fear of being caught in the middle of the ongoing riots in Kenya.
Long queues have formed as drivers gather in groups to discuss the unfolding events, expressing concerns about proceeding with their journeys amidst the protests.
Trucks are still seen stretched for several kilometers on the Ugandan side, with some parked in the Kenya customs yard.
Uganda and other regional states like Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan are landlocked and heavily rely on Kenya for imports alike.
The protests have also affected business, with many Ugandans who rely on Kenya buyers unable to get customers as Kenyans kept away.
“We sell here what the Kenyans expects us to sell but at the moment they none of them are coming here to buy from us all of them are in fear, even we Ugandans we fear to go to Kenya to buy things, we also so fear to die,” Nabwire narrated.
