COMMUNISTS in Kenya today demanded the resignation of the country’s president as thousands of protesters continued to take to the streets.

The renewed demand came after police fired tear gas at peaceful protesters in Nairobi and several other towns and cities on Tuesday.

Five days ago President William Ruto dismissed all but one Cabinet minister and promised to form a broad-based government.

The move by Mr Ruto was his response to the protests which began on June 18 in opposition to a finance Bill that would have raised taxes for a population already struggling to make ends meet.

The demonstrators called for the sacking of Cabinet ministers over incompetence, corruption and displays of opulence while ordinary people suffered from a cost-of-living crisis. 

Protesters stormed parliament on June 25 after legislators passed the finance Bill. Police opened fire, killing several people.

President Ruto said that he had listened to the protesters and refused to sign the Bill.

The head of the police, who have been accused of brutality toward the demonstrators, resigned on Friday but protesters remained adamant that the protests will continue until the president steps down.

The Communist Party of Kenya has played a leading role in the protests.

Its national organising secretary Booker Ngesa Omole posted on the X social media platform today that “police repression and deaths have only one outcome: fuelling more public anger.”

He said: “On Thursday, we shall be on the streets to remind Ruto that his time is up and he must pack up and go.”

Mr Omole also posted a video on X of what he said was “journalist Macharia Gaitho being “brutalised by the Kenya Police.” 

He said: “Ruto will not stop until we stop him.”

The Kenya National Commission for Human Rights said that since June 18, 50 people have died in the protests, while 59 others were abducted and are missing.