William Ruto Declines To Sign Finance Bill That Sparked Protest
William Ruto, President of Kenya, has declined to consent to the controversial 2024 Finance Bill, which was passed by the country’s Parliament on Tuesday, sparking a wave of protests that has reportedly killed five people and injured several others.
The bill, which was passed a week ago by Parliament, seeks to increase taxation in various sectors but has met with stiff resistance from the people, particularly the youth.
However, the President has declined to sign it, and instead sent it back to the Parliament, proposing key amendments.
Ruto’s refusal to sign the bill comes barely 24 hours after he described the demonstrations as being hijacked by criminals.
“An otherwise legitimate expression of the fundamental rights and freedom of assembly, demonstration, picketing, and petitioning of public authorities by a section of law-abiding citizens of the Republic of Kenya was infiltrated and hijacked by a group of organized criminals,” .
President Ruto
Protesters claim that the bill increases hardship through its various proposed tax hikes in a country where over 7.8 million people live in extreme poverty.
