Kenyan President Ruto Withdraws Tax Bill Amid Protests
Kenyan President William Ruto refused to sign a controversial finance bill that introduced new taxes, following widespread protests.
The Kenyan Parliament passed the bill on June 25, but youths intensified their demonstrations, culminating in a protest where part of the parliament was set on fire as lawmakers fled for safety.
Acknowledging the public outcry, President Ruto chose not to assent to the bill on Wednesday, opting to withdraw it instead.
This decision came after sustained pressure from Kenyan citizens who had protested against the bill since it was initially presented to parliament.
“I concede and therefore I will not sign the 2024 Finance Bill and it shall subsequently be withdrawn,” Ruto said in a televised address.
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“The people have spoken,” the president asserted, adding that he would now start a dialogue with Kenyan youths.
Ruto refrained from the details of what the dialogue would be, but he hinted that it would include austerity measures that would start with cuts to the expenses of his own office.
The president’s capitulation is widely hailed by many who have followed the weeklong protests in the capital city Nairobi and other major centres across the country that had by Tuesday led to the death of at least seven people.
Up to early on Wednesday, the mood in Kenya was that the protests would continue if the presidency decided to go ahead with the tax hikes stipulated in the finance bill.
William Ruto, 57, has been president of Kenya, an East African country of about 48 million people, since September 13, 2022.
