Kenyan President William Ruto announced on Wednesday that a bill containing contentious tax hikes would “be withdrawn,” reversing course after more than 20 people died and parliament was ransacked by protesters opposing the legislation.
However, he cautioned that withdrawing the finance bill would result in a significant shortfall in funding for development programs aimed at helping farmers, schoolteachers, and others, as Kenya struggles to reduce its foreign debt burden.
“I concede and therefore I will not sign the 2024 finance bill and it shall subsequently be withdrawn,” Ruto told a press briefing, adding: “The people have spoken.”
Ruto’s administration has been taken by surprise by the intensity of opposition to its tax hikes, with protests breaking out across the country last week.
The largely peaceful rallies turned violent on Tuesday when lawmakers passed the legislation, and police fired live rounds into crowds that ransacked the partly ablaze parliament complex.
The state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported 22 deaths and 300 injured victims, announcing plans to launch an investigation.
Frustration over the rising cost of living had spiraled last week as lawmakers began debating the bill containing the tax hikes.
Ruto’s cash-strapped government stated that the tax increases were necessary to service the country’s massive debt of approximately 10 trillion shillings ($78 billion), which is roughly 70 percent of Kenya’s GDP.
AFP
