Kenyan President William Ruto. (Photo by Christy Sparrow/Global Citizen via Getty Images)
Kenya's President William Ruto said this week that a controversial bill containing tax hikes would “be withdrawn,” in a dramatic reversal of policy after clashes with police left more than 20 people dead and protesters ransacked parliament in protest against the bill.
The initially peaceful protests began last week in the wake of politicians passing the Finance Bill 2024 on Tuesday, taking Ruto's administration by surprise as rallies gathered momentum across the country.
But Gen Z-led protests turned violent when police fired live ammunition into crowds outside parliament, the building was looted and parts set ablaze, and 19 people were killed in the capital, Nairobi, according to the state-run human rights watchdog.
“I have made a concession and therefore will not sign the 2024 Finance Bill. The bill will then be withdrawn,” Ruto said at a press conference on Wednesday. “The people's voice has been heard.”
“I propose to talk to the young people of our country, our sons and daughters, and listen to them,” he added, a stark departure from a speech late on Tuesday in which he likened some of the protesters to “criminals”.
Following Ruto, Vice President Ligaty Gachagua said it was an “intelligence failure” and blamed others.
Shortly after the speech, prominent protester Hanifa Adan dismissed Ruto's announcement as a propaganda stunt. Referring to his comments the night before, she told X: “He made that speech to try to intimidate us and then he realised it wasn't working so he started his propaganda stunt. The bill has been withdrawn but are we going to bring back all the dead people?”
Ahead of Ruto's change of policy, protesters had called for a new rally on Thursday. “Tomorrow we will march peacefully again wearing white for all those who died,” Adan said. “You can't kill us all.”
Protesters shared the message on social media using the hashtag “Tupatane Thursday” – Swahili for “gathering on Thursday” – and the hashtag #Rejectfinancebill2024.
Nelly, 26, told AFP she would be taking to the streets again: “We will march tomorrow for a better future for Kenya.”
Ruto came to power in 2022 promising to champion the needs of impoverished Kenyans, but his tax hikes have only made life tougher for people already struggling with high inflation.
Kenya's leaders have already rolled back several tax measures last week and the finance ministry has warned of a huge budget shortfall of as much as Sh200 billion.
Ruto said repealing the bill would leave a huge hole in funding for development schemes that help farmers, teachers and others.
The cash-strapped government has previously said the increase was needed to repay Kenya's huge debt of about 10 trillion shillings ($78 billion), roughly 70 percent of GDP.
“Twenty-two deaths have been recorded,” Roselyn Odede, chair of the state-funded Kenya Human Rights Commission, said, including 19 in Nairobi. “This is the highest death toll in a single day of protests,” she said, adding that 300 people had been injured across the country.
Simon Kigondu, president of the Kenya Medical Association, said he had never seen “this level of violence against unarmed people” before.
An official at Nairobi's Kenyatta National Hospital said doctors were “treating 160 people… some with soft tissue injuries and some with gunshot wounds.”
Rights groups have also accused authorities of abducting protesters. Police did not respond to AFP requests for comment.
A heavy police presence was seen around the parliament building early on Wednesday, the smell of tear gas was still in the air and there were dried bloodstains on the ground, an AFP reporter said.
A police officer standing in front of the destroyed barricades told AFP he saw the scene on television.
“It was madness. Hopefully today is calmer,” he said.
In the central business district, where protests are concentrated, merchants surveyed the damage.
“They left us with nothing, just boxes. We don't know how long it will take us to recover,” James Nganga, whose shop was looted, told AFP. – Dilan Gamba AFP
