- As Kenyans awaited a showdown at Parliament Buildings on June 18, 2024, Kimani Ichungwa cleared the air with a statement; "There is absolutely no debate today."
- The statement however, did not dampen the spirits of protesters who were prepared to protest the supposed voting of the bill
- The message they were passing across was clear: Reject the Finance Bill.
- Whatever was expected to be a peaceful demonstration turned violent at the presence of police officers.
This afternoon, June 18, 2024, clearing the air as the collective conscience of Kenyans awaited a showdown at Parliament grounds, the National Assembly Majority Leader and Kikuyu Constituency MP Kimani Ichung’wa, stated at a press address attended by the President and members of the political class.
“There is absolutely no debate today. It is just the tabling of the report. The debate shall begin tomorrow till Thursday,” said Ichung’wa during the press briefing.
However, this did not quench the spirits of Kenyans who had been prepared and active in rallying calls to peacefully protest outside Parliament buildings during the supposed voting of the Finance Bill 2024.
It is clear that this did not stop the message being put across, ‘REJECT THE FINANCE BILL.’
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Several trending hashtags with the same call to demos were: #OccupyParliament, #TokeaTuesday, #RevolutionKe and #RejectFinanceBill2024 which quickly gathered momentum in the past few weeks as conversations around the subject gradually became commonplace.
Kenyans came out in droves, marching and chanting in solidarity in various centers in and around Nairobi CBD. Waving banners and posters, they opposed the proposed taxation increase, terming it punitive.
Despite expecting an unobstructed peaceful demonstration within Nairobi, the protesters were met by police officers dispatched to the area in anticipation of any hints of violence.
Images circulating online show a number of individuals being dragged to the infamous police patrol vehicles and others already locked up at various police stations.
Accusations have been lobbed at the security personnel for the use of force against unarmed demonstrators. This comes after teargas and water cannons were used to disperse individuals around the city centre, reminiscent of the brutal actions of police during past violent protests.
The ‘hustler’ spirit did not dampen, as the atmosphere in Nairobi was a buzz with numerous calls to action by activists and members of the public chanting “HAKI YETU!”
What do Kenyans want? What do they demand?
After a participatory session conducted by the Finance Committee with members of the public, to capture their views on the Finance Bill, the Chair of the Committee announced during the briefing that the proposed increased VAT on mobile money transfer, including digital services, has been scrapped; there will be no additional taxes as had been initially proposed.
Other announcements during the briefing were that the proposed controversial amendment to include diapers and sanitary towels under the ECO levy has also been abandoned. He added that the levy shall only be imposed on imported finished products.
He further reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reduce the cost of living by scrapping the proposed 16% VAT on bread, which would have added a greater pinch to the common mwananchi’s daily expenditure.
However, many Kenyans do not think that the amendments are enough and demand much more. According to them, if the Members of Parliament can’t do that much, Kenyans demand they reject the Bill in its entirety.
Members of the public and keyboard warriors on various social media platforms are unfazed and promise to demonstrate until wanton corruption and over taxation proposals are flushed down the drain. Kenyans stand in unison to demand accountability and transparency from the Kenya Kwanza government.
