Kenya’s President Ruto Withdraws Controversial Finance Bill

Kenya’s President William Ruto has announced the withdrawal of a finance bill that proposed controversial tax hikes, following violent protests that resulted in at least 22 deaths and saw the country’s parliament set ablaze.

In a televised address to Kenyans, President Ruto acknowledged the overwhelming public opposition to the Finance Bill 2024. “Listening keenly to the people of Kenya who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this Finance Bill 2024, I concede,” he stated. “And therefore, I will not sign the 2024 Finance Bill, and it shall subsequently be withdrawn. The people have spoken.”

The protests, the largest since Ruto’s election in 2022, were driven primarily by young Kenyans. The demonstrations escalated dramatically on Tuesday when protesters broke into parliament, vandalising the interior and setting parts of the complex on fire. The ceremonial mace, symbolising the authority of the legislature, was stolen amid the chaos.

Initially, President Ruto responded with a hardline stance, ordering the military to be deployed to quell the unrest and declaring that “violence and anarchy” would not be tolerated. However, the growing public outcry, particularly over the killing of protesters, prompted a shift in his approach.

Wanjeri Nderu, head of the International Society for Human Rights, speaking to the BBC, described the scene during the protests as “like we were at war,” accusing police of using live ammunition even before parliament was breached. The Catholic bishops also condemned the actions of the security forces and appealed to the police not to shoot at the protesters, while urging demonstrators to remain peaceful.

The Law Society of Kenya has called for international criminal investigators to assist in seeking justice for the families of those killed, reporting that soldiers were engaging with protesters within parliament. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his deep sadness over the deaths and injuries, including those of journalists and medical personnel, urging Kenyan authorities to “exercise restraint” and calling for peaceful demonstrations.

Despite the government’s attempt to mitigate public anger by dropping some of the bill’s most controversial proposals last week, the protests persisted. Demonstrators demanded the entire bill be scrapped, a demand to which President Ruto has now conceded.

The Finance Bill 2024, passed by parliament on Tuesday despite the nationwide demonstrations, had proposed taxes on essential items like bread, cooking oil, mobile money services, specialized hospitals, and motor vehicles. Critics argued these measures would exacerbate the country’s cost-of-living crisis. The government had justified the tax hikes as necessary to reduce Kenya’s substantial debt, which exceeds $80 billion (£63 billion) and consumes more than half of the country’s annual tax revenues to service.

President Ruto has now pledged to enter into dialogue with the young people who led the protests, signalling a potential shift in his administration’s approach to economic policy and governance in the face of significant public opposition.

Mimi Mefo Info