“Treasury sanctions four Kenyan politicians linked to sponsored violence,” reads the title on what seems to be a press release from the US Department of the Treasury, circulating on Facebook as a screenshot.
It is dated 29 March 2023.
A section of the text in the screenshot reads: “The Treasury Department is taking action against these individuals after establishing that they planned and sponsored violence on Monday March 27, 2023. Their actions were meant to silence dissent, limit freedom of speech and the press; degrade the rule of law; perpetuate violent conflicts; undermine economic markets; and generally, undermine democracy in Kenya.”
On 9 March Raila Odinga, the leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the Azimio la Umoja coalition, announced the start of mass action protests against the high cost of living and what he has called the abuse of power by William Ruto’s government.
It has been reported that the United Democratic Alliance, of which Ruto is the leader, wants to hold Odinga’s supporters responsible for the destruction of property during the protests. A university student was killed in clashes between the police and protesters.