In response to violent protests that resulted in the burning of the parliament building, Kenyan President William Ruto has declared he will withdraw a financial law that included contentious tax increases.
President Ruto said in a speech to the country that Kenyans “want nothing” to do with the bill, to which he replied, “I concede,” promising not to sign it into law.
At least 22 persons lost their lives as a result of the protests on Tuesday, according to the government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNHRC).
The youth, who led the strongest protests since his victory in 2022, were the ones who President Ruto announced he would now speak with.
Kenyan Soldiers (image source BBC)
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While many Kenyans on social media pledged to march to the president’s official residence on Thursday morning, police were stationed throughout the capital and surrounding State House. Some protest organizers, however, advised against doing so because of the possibility of more violence.
At first, the protesters wanted to stop the president from signing the legislation. But since then, some demonstrators have demanded that he quit, adopting the catchphrase “Ruto must go.”
On Tuesday, the law was approved by parliament in spite of the widespread protests. After breaking inside the parliament building, protesters set parts of the structure on fire and vandalized the interior. The ceremonial mace—a representation of the legislature’s power was taken.
President Ruto initially responded defiantly, announcing that “violence and anarchy” would not be tolerated and ordering the troops to be mobilized. On Wednesday, though, he changed his mind in response to the tremendous public outrage.
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On Kenya’s Citizen TV, the headline said, “Ruto withdraws Finance Bill, bows to Gen Z pressure.”
