In a public announcement, President Ruto Williams confirmed that he will not be signing the new finance bill into law. The president, who had urged the parliament to sign the bill, stating that the finance bill would help alleviate Kenya’s debt, has now withdrawn the bill.
Ruto said in a press briefing:
“The people have spoken…I concede, and therefore, I will not sign the 2024 finance bill, and it shall subsequently be withdrawn.”
After the bill passed its second reading in Parliament, Kenyans took to the streets to protest the bill and express their grievances in coordinated protests. However, the largely peaceful rallies turned violent on Tuesday when the controversial bill passed its third and final reading in Parliament, which further aggravated Kenyans, who then broke into Parliament.
Their actions were met with gruesome retaliation by the police, who fired live rounds into crowds, leaving over 20 protesters dead and many more injured.
The Kenyan youths who championed the protests have won, and hopefully, the protests will seize, allowing Kenyans to return to their lives and businesses.
