Kenyan President William Ruto delivers a speech at the Kenyan State House in Nairobi on Wednesday. He said he would not sign into law a finance bill proposing new taxes, a day after protesters stormed parliament and several people were shot dead.
Patrick Ngugi/AP
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Patrick Ngugi/AP
NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenyan President William Ruto says he will not sign into law a controversial tax bill that has sparked widespread protests across the country, but activists say demonstrations will continue.
More than 20 people died during Tuesday’s protests, some shot by police, according to the Kenya Human Rights Commission. Protesters stormed and set fire to part of the country’s parliament building.
“I acknowledge, listening carefully to the people of Kenya, that they want nothing to do with this Finance Bill 2024, so I will not sign the Finance Bill 2024 and it will subsequently be withdrawn,” Ruto told the national conference. address on Wednesday.
He acknowledged there was a “widespread expression of dissatisfaction” in the country over Tuesday’s parliamentary vote in which lawmakers approved the bill, and he regretted the loss of life and damage to property caused during the protests.
The president said his administration would expand austerity measures, including cutting hospitality and travel expenses for offices. He has sent the bill back to parliament for revision.
But protesters have vowed to march across the country on Thursday to demand the resignation of the president and all lawmakers who voted for the bill this week.
Kenyan police sprayed protesters with water cannon as they protested against tax increases proposed in the finance bill in central Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday, June. February 25, 2024.
Brian Inganga/AP
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Brian Inganga/AP
Meanwhile, human rights bodies announced a rise in the death toll following deadly protests outside parliament on Tuesday. The Kenya Human Rights Commission issued a statement condemning the response of the police, who have been accused of using heavy-handed tactics at these protests, including spot searches, beatings and even kidnappings.
The incidents also put the spotlight on Kenyan police, who have been criticized for their tactics in the past.
The protests represent the biggest challenge yet for Ruto, who demonstrators say has failed to improve the lives of millions of young people who voted for him two years ago.
Abroad, the unrest and the police response caused some embarrassing scenes as the first contingent of hundreds of Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti to lead U.N.-backed forces to help restore peace to the Caribbean nation.
The contingent currently stationed in Haiti is from the General Service Force, the same paramilitary group that was overwhelmed by protesters in Kenya on Tuesday.
This is a major headache for Ruto, who describes himself as a staunch ally of the West but faces serious questions at home over his handling of the protests.
Most of the protesters are young people, college students calling themselves “Generation Z”, who have fueled much of the opposition to the Finance Bill 2024 on social media.
The legislation seeks to raise about $2.9 billion in tax revenue, which the government says it needs to pay down its massive debt.
But protesters say the tax will make life more difficult, raising the cost of items such as cooking oil, sanitary napkins and nappies, as well as fuel taxes that will make transport and production more expensive.
