Kenya’s President, William Ruto, has announced he will not sign the contentious 2024 finance bill that sparked mass protests, and will instead withdraw the legislation.
In a televised address on Wednesday, Ruto stated, “I concede and therefore I will not sign the 2024 finance bill and it shall subsequently be withdrawn. The people have spoken.”
Ruto committed to engaging in dialogue with Kenyan youth and implementing austerity measures, beginning with cuts to the presidential budget, to address the country’s financial shortfall. This decision follows reports of dozens of deaths and numerous injuries as police clashed with protesters opposing the tax hikes proposed in the bill.
The decision marks a significant victory for the protest movement, which rapidly grew from online opposition to the tax increases into widespread demonstrations demanding political change. The protests represent the most serious challenge to Ruto’s two-year-old presidency.
Despite Ruto’s announcement, scepticism remains high. Activists have called for continued peaceful protests to honour those killed during the demonstrations. “You cannot kill all of us. Tomorrow we march peacefully again as we wear white, for all our fallen people,” posted Hanifa Adan, a key organiser of the youth-led protests, on social media platform X.
Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb reported from Nairobi that many protest organisers and others remain doubtful of Ruto’s intentions. According to a leading opposition lawyer, Ruto’s speech does not constitute a formal rejection of the bill. The president must officially communicate his decision to Parliament with a memorandum to halt the legislative process.
The protests, initially peaceful, escalated dramatically on Tuesday after Parliament passed the bill. Violent clashes ensued, with police using tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and reportedly live ammunition against demonstrators. Protesters stormed and set fire to Parliament, prompting Ruto to deploy the military.
The death toll remains uncertain. The Kenya Medical Association reported at least 23 deaths and 30 injuries from gunfire. The Kenyatta National Hospital is treating 160 injured people, including those with bullet wounds. Further reports of multiple deaths and severe unrest have emerged from the suburb of Githurai and the Rift Valley town of Eldoret, a Ruto stronghold.
Ruto’s decision to withdraw the bill has been met with relief by some, including tax reform campaigner Stella Agara. “It’s a relief that he has gone back on some of the things he said in the speech yesterday, because that had left the citizens more enraged,” Agara told Al Jazeera. She suggested that this decision opens the door for negotiations that could potentially cancel the planned protests or lead to the creation of a new bill.
President Ruto, who took office in 2022 with a promise to reduce living costs, had argued that the tax increases were necessary to reduce reliance on foreign debt, which is currently about 70 percent of Kenya’s GDP.
