Kenya’s President Williams Ruto has succombed to growing public pressure and has withdrawn the roundly rejected and repudiated Finance Bill 2024 following days of protests in the country. “I will decline to assent to the bill. It shall subsequently be withdrawn” he is said to have stated.
It is that he further stated, in a bid to calm tempers and quell the increasingly rising tension in the land “I propose an engagement with young people of our nation to listen to their issues and agree with them on their priority areas of concern.
I also propose that within the next 14 days, a multi-sectoral, multi- stakeholder engagement be held with a view to charting the way forward on matters relating to the content of the bill as well as auxiliary issues raised in recent days on the need for austerity measures and strengthening our fight against corruption.
I direct immediate further austerity measures to reduce expenditure, starting with the Executive Office of the President and extending to the entire executive arm of government.
I direct that operational expenditure in the Presidency be reduced to remove allocations for the confidential vote, reduce travel budget, hospitality and purchase of motor vehicles, renovations and other expenditures.
I propose that equally, Parliament, the Judiciary and County Governments working with the National Treasury also undertake budget cuts and austerity to ensure that we do what I have always advocated for, that we live within our means.”
Soothing balm. However, this did not seem to have presently turned back the enraged Kenyans from the street, as they persist in achieving their stipulated Seven days of Rage. It is a known fact that with the annulment of the offensive tax bill, the people have also demanded his stepping down. This is as Kenyans scattered all over the world have also hit the streets of some major cities including the World court in the Hague, Netherlands. it is reported that hundreds of Kenyan protestors have thronged the streets of several cities in different countries to protest against the government on Thursday.
The Kenyans who stated that they stood in solidarity with their counterparts back home headed to Kenyan High Commissions and embassies to present their grievances.
In London police were seen to contain protestors who had thronged the Kenyan High Commission.
The protestors who were in the hundreds occupied the street with the police working to ensure they did not obstruct traffic.
In the videos seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the protestors had donned flags and chanting anti-government slogans.
Further a spotcheck by Kenyans.co.ke also revealed that there was a multitude of Kenyans camping in the Hague outside the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The Kenyans could also be heard pushing for the ICC to reopen the case against President William Ruto which had been earlier dropped.
In the chants, the protestors called for the ICC to reconsider the case which had been instituted against the President, charging him for alleged crimes against humanity witnessed during the 2007/2008 Post-election Violence.
Elsewhere in Berlin Germany, Kenyans also took to the streets outside the Embassy to protest, camping outside for hours.
Previously On Sunday, Kenyans in the United States took to the streets of Washington and Dallas to protest against the Finance Bill 2024.
The diaspora protests were part of the seven days of rage which had been organised to push the government to concede and withdraw the Finance Bill.
However, despite the President’s U-Turn on the controversial bill, the protests and unrest have continued with a section of Kenyans pushing for the President’s resignation.
Obviously, President Ruto has lost the confidence of the people of Kenya. It is apparent that he has a lot of placating to do.
