Kenya President William Ruto declines to sign Finance Bill to law

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President William Ruto addresses the nation from State House in Nairobi. Kenya’s President William Ruto, acceding to pressure from citizens after several protests, has on Wednesday declined to sign the Finance Bill 2024 into law.

However, this follows Tuesday’s deadly protests, which saw demonstrators breach Parliament premises for the first time in Kenya’s history.

President Ruto’s decision to send the bill back to Parliament will likely be seen as an attempt to de-escalate already-rising tensions following Tuesday’s countrywide demos.

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Also Read: Kenya: Thousands demonstrate against proposed tax increases

Furthermore, police opened fire on crowds who massed around parliament on Tuesday and later broke into parliament buildings, minutes after lawmakers had voted through tax hikes seeking to raise an additional $2.7 billion.

Kenyan protesters vowed on Wednesday to keep up their demonstrations against new tax hikes, a day after violent clashes outside parliament and across the country left at least 23 people dead and scores wounded.

The Star newspaper reported that it had been informed by sources in Ruto’s office that the president has proposed a raft of amendments that members of parliament will have to consider.

In conclusion, Ruto, who is facing the most serious crisis since coming to power almost two years ago, will address the nation at 1300 GMT, his office said.

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written by @enock katamba

enock katamba

Enock Katamba is a Ugandan Journalist and Founder of Uncovered UG, an independent digital news platform covering Uganda and international developments. He reports on politics, national affairs, entertainment, sports, business, education and other stories of public interest.