On Thursday afternoon in the seaside city of Mombasa, a Kenyan man allegedly set himself on fire in protest at the exorbitant expense of living.
He lit himself on fire after ascending a statue in the midst of a busy roundabout. The man is seen clutching the Kenyan flag in a video that has since gone viral. He then shouts, and a second later, a massive flame engulfs him.
He was saved by witnesses who swiftly assisted in putting out the fire, and he was then rushed to the nearby Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital where he is currently receiving treatment.
The unidentified man explained to onlookers that he was protesting the high cost of living and the “stolen” presidential election from the previous year, in which Raila Odinga lost to President William Ruto. In court, the victory was affirmed, and Mr. Odinga’s charges of irregularities were rejected.
In recent weeks, dozens of people have died in Kenya as a result of police crackdowns on large-scale demonstrations calling for election reforms and an end to inflation.