Kenyan President William Ruto said he would withdraw a finance bill containing controversial tax increases following deadly protests in which parliament was set ablaze on Tuesday.
In a speech to the nation, he said Kenyans clearly “want nothing” to do with the bill.
“I admit it,” he said, adding that he would not sign the bill into law.
Tuesday’s protests left at least 22 people dead, according to the state-funded Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC).
Mr Ruto said he would now speak to young people, who have been at the forefront of the country’s biggest protests since being elected in 2022.
“I admit, listening carefully to the people of Kenya, they are saying loudly that they want nothing to do with this 2024 Finance Bill.
“Therefore, I will not sign the Finance Bill 2024, which will then be withdrawn. The people have spoken,” he said in a televised speech.
The bill passed parliament on Tuesday despite nationwide protests.
Protesters broke into Congress, damaging its interior and setting parts of the complex on fire. The ceremonial mace, symbolizing the authority of the Legislature, was stolen.
Mr Ruto’s initial reaction was one of contempt.
He ordered the deployment of troops, saying “violence and anarchy” would not be tolerated.
But he stepped down on Wednesday as public outrage grew over the killing of protesters.
Wanjeri Nderu, president of the International Society for Human Rights, told the BBC that the experience during the protests was “like we were at war”, adding that police had used live ammunition even before Parliament was breached.
Catholic bishops also condemned the actions of the security forces and “sincerely appealed to the police not to shoot at the protesters” while urging them to remain peaceful.
The Kenya Bar Association called on international criminal investigators to help the family seek justice, saying there were reports of soldiers coming into contact with protesters in parliament.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply saddened by reports of casualties, including among journalists and medical personnel.”
He also urged Kenyan authorities to “exercise restraint” and called on all demonstrations to remain peaceful.
The protests came despite the government abandoning some of the bill’s most controversial proposals during last week’s protests.
Demonstrators called for the entire bill to be scrapped, something Mr Ruto has now agreed to do.
The original bill proposed taxes on bread, cooking oil, mobile money services, specialist hospitals and motor vehicles – all of which Kenyans say will exacerbate the cost of living crisis.
