Kenyan President Withdraws Tax Hike Bill Following Deadly Protests

 On June 25th,  , after attempting to disperse crowds with tear gas and water cannons, Nairobi police opened fire on protestors.  At least 23 people were killed, according to Reuters, and others were injured. At a press conference the following day, Kenyan president William Ruto surprisingly announced the withdrawal of a tax bill that instigated the protests. Despite this withdrawal, protests continued in commemoration of those who were killed in previous days and at least two more protestors were killed, while others were shot by police. The protests were largely youth-led, with the movement growing quickly after online criticism of the proposed tax hikes.

Following the June 25th protests, President Ruto said: “Listening keenly to the people of Kenya who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this 2024 finance bill , I concede. And therefore, I will not sign the 2024 finance bill, and it shall subsequently be withdrawn.” The president also stated that he would seek to have conversations with Kenya’s youth. Vice President Rigathi Gachagua blamed the National Intelligence Service, saying “there would have been no mayhem, but they slept on the job.” He called for the head of the service to resign. Christine Odera, the co-chair of the Kenya Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security, questioned the president’s statement regarding conversations, and called for structure to be implemented to facilitate talks: “All of us cannot sit in a stadium and have a conversation.” Ojango Omondi, from Nairobi community activist organization Social Justice Centres Working Group, does not want reform to get caught up in diplomacy, and stated: “All we want is better living conditions. All we want is the leaders to stop using our resources […] to sponsor their lavish lifestyle.”

While President Ruto did take a promising step toward peaceful engagement with the young protestors in his press conference on Wednesday, his words were largely overshadowed by the violence of the police crackdown on the movement. Serious efforts will need to be made by President Ruto to either decrease the cost of living in order to rebuild trust, or to resign, as protestors are now calling for the removal of the president.

One criticism of the Kenyan president is his relationship with the U.S. Kenya relies on borrowing from funds such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is largely backed by the U.S., to cover its expenses. Kenya has a debt of 67.5% of its GDP, which is over 10% higher than the recommendation of the IMF and the World Bank. The proposed tax bill that has since been withdrawn sought to reduce this ratio to allow for Kenya to borrow more from the IMF. Polls reported by Foreign Policy show that over half of Kenyans thought President Ruto’s government had achieved nothing and that Kenya was headed in the wrong direction. The president has been celebrated by the U.S. for his recent commitment to send police forces to aid Haiti, however his performance and approval in his own country is faltering.

Kenya’s economic situation is far from resolved, as is its government’s relationship with the people. President Ruto will need to make good on his promise of dialogue with protestors in order to move towards peace and stability for Kenya in the future.

Benjamin Bigcraft

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