Kenya President withdraws planned tax hikes after deadly protests

Kenya President William Ruto announced on Wednesday that he will halt the proposed tax hikes following significant public opposition. The decision comes after widespread protests against the plan to raise $2.3 billion in new levies resulted in the deaths of at least 23 individuals.

The decision will be seen as a significant victory for the week-old, youth-led protest movement, which evolved from online criticisms of tax increases into mass rallies calling for a political overhaul. This has been the most severe crisis in Ruto’s two-year presidency. Despite Ruto’s concession, some protesters indicated on social media that they would proceed with a planned rally on Thursday, with many reiterating their demands for his resignation.

According to the President in a televised address with lawmakers, “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 And therefore, I will not sign the 2024 finance bill, and it shall subsequently be withdrawn.”

Happily, this is a 360 degree turn from his stance yesterday where he deployed military forces to quell nationwide anti-government protests. He had stated that “the government shall treat every threat to national security and the integrity of our state as an existential danger to our republic.”

Vice President Rigathi Gachagua urged the youths to cancel the protests to prevent further loss of life and property damage, and he criticized the intelligence services for providing poor advice to the government. “There would have been no chaos, but they failed in their duties,” Gachagua stated in a speech, demanding the resignation of the head of the National Intelligence Service.

The government proposed these new taxes to improve state finances, manage its high debt ratio, and secure more International Monetary Fund (IMF) financing.

Other members of the protest movement continued to use the hashtag #tupatanethursday, which means “see you on Thursday” in a blend of Swahili and English, on social media.

In response, Ruto announced plans to initiate a dialogue with Kenyan youth, though he did not provide specific details. He also committed to implementing austerity measures, starting with cuts to the presidential budget, to address the country’s financial shortfall. Ruto described the loss of life on Tuesday as “very unfortunate.”