The lessons of Africa’s tax revolts

The Bastille moment came in June, when protesters stormed Parliament and the security forces shot dozens dead. The president, William Ruto, was sufficiently cowed to tear up his tax plans and sack several ministers. But Kenyans are still angry at a political class that is “taking people’s money, offering no services, and being accountable to no one”, says Wanjira Wanjiru, an activist at the Mathare Social Justice Centre, a community group in Nairobi.