Kenya's president has withdrawn the controversial tax bill after deadly protests
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Kenyan President William Ruto gives an address at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday. He said he won't sign into law a finance bill proposing new taxes a day after protesters stormed parliament and several people were shot dead.Patrick Ngugi / AP -
Protesters scatter as Kenya police spray water canon at them during a protest over proposed tax hikes in a finance bill in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, June. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)Brian Inganga / 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 said demonstrations will continue.
More than 20 people died in the protests Tuesday, according to the Kenya Human Rights Commission, which said some were shot by police. Protesters stormed into and set fire to parts of the nation's parliament buildings.
"Listening keenly to the people of Kenya who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this finance bill 2024, I concede, and therefore I will not sign the 2024 finance bill and it shall subsequently be withdrawn," Ruto said in a national address on Wednesday.
He acknowledged the country has "witnessed widespread expression of dissatisfaction" over Tuesday's vote in parliament, where lawmakers approved the bill, and he expressed regret at the loss of life and destruction of property during the protests.
The president said his government would instead widen austerity measures, including cuts in hospitality and travel expenses for his office. He has sent the bill back to parliament for amendments.
But protesters have vowed to march on Thursday across the country to call for the resignation of the president and all members of parliament who voted for the bill this week.
This comes as human rights bodies announced a rise in the death toll after Tuesday’s deadly protests outside parliament. The Kenya Human Rights Commission issued a statement condemning the response by police, who have been accused of using heavy-handed tactics during these protests, including live rounds on crowds, beatings and even abductions.
The incidents have also shone a spotlight on the Kenyan police who have been criticized for their tactics in the past.
The protests are 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 have created some awkward optics at a time when the first contingent of hundreds of Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti to lead a United Nations-backed force to help restore peace in that Caribbean country.
The contingent now in Haiti comes from the General Service Unit, which is the same paramilitary group that was overwhelmed by protesters in Kenya on Tuesday.
It’s a big headache for Ruto, who has styled himself as a strong ally of the West but domestically faces serious questions over his handling of the protests.
Most of the protesters are young people, college students calling themselves the "Gen Z," who galvanized much of the opposition to finance bill 2024 on social media.
The legislation sought to raise about $2.9 billion in taxes that the government said it needed to pay off huge foreign debt.
But the protesters said that the taxes would make life much harder, raising the cost of such things as cooking oil, sanitary pads and diapers, as well as fuel taxes that would make transportation and production more expensive.
Transcript
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
In Kenya, President William Ruto says he will not sign into law a controversial tax bill. The bill has sparked widespread protests in the country. More than 20 people have died in these demonstrations. Protesters stormed Parliament buildings and set fire to parts of it on Tuesday. Reporter Emmanuel Igunza is in the capital, Nairobi, and joins us now. Welcome.
EMMANUEL IGUNZA: Well, good evening.
CHANG: Good evening. So why does the President of Kenya seem to be making this U-turn now?
IGUNZA: Well, he made this televised address to the nation earlier on today. And just to remind you, this comes after a week of deadly violent protests that culminated in the violence we saw yesterday, which saw protesters storm part of Parliament. They set part of it on fire. And Parliament had just passed the controversial finance bill that was seeking to significantly raise taxes. So last night, he was very defiant, calling some of the protesters criminals and promising tough action. But today, his tone was one of reconciliation.
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PRESIDENT WILLIAM RUTO: I run a government, but I also lead people, and the people have spoken. And listening keenly to the people of Kenya who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this finance bill 2024, I concede. I will not sign the 2024 finance bill.
IGUNZA: Well, this is a big blow for him. He's been pushing very hard for the finance bill, has given it his personal backing, and he's faced huge criticism on his handling of the protest. But he maintains that, even today - that the country needs an additional $2.9 billion in taxes to pay off huge public debt, much of it owed to China.
CHANG: Well, what has been the response so far to his sudden change in tone and direction?
IGUNZA: When he made the announcement, President Ruto was applauded by members of his ruling party who were with him at the Statehouse. But the public reaction has been very different. People are still very defiant, very angry and insist that they will go on with planned protests tomorrow, first to mourn those who have died during the last few days of violent protests.
And then the protests themselves have also been triggered by the proposed tax law, but they have now moved into a referendum of sort of Ruto's presidency and all MPs who backed the bill earlier this week. I spoke to one protester, Athman Charo (ph), who has been to every protest since they began last week.
ATHMAN CHARO: We don't believe his words. Yesterday, he spoke. Today, he has spoken different things from yesterday. Yesterday, he said it was a treasonous act. A youth's life is more important than the finance bill. We have survived without that finance bill, so let it not be an issue right now.
CHANG: Listening to his words, Emmanuel, I'm wondering, how do you think these recent events have damaged President Ruto's reputation, both in Kenya and maybe even internationally?
IGUNZA: Well, domestically, he's facing his biggest test yet since he came into power two years ago, so he has a lot of work to do here. And internationally, he's - emerges a strong ally of the West, particularly the U.S. He's received a state dinner by President Biden. He's also been - Kenya has also been declared a non-NATO ally, the only country in sub-Saharan Africa. So - but he has faced criticism from the U.N., the U.S. and the African Union of how he's handled this protest. So it's really difficult to see how he can salvage his reputation internationally and also here domestically in Kenya.
CHANG: That is reporter Emmanuel Igunza in Nairobi. Thank you so much, Emmanuel. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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