2024’s Proposed Laws That Ignited Outrage
The Finance Bill, 2024 sparked widespread anger across Kenya, with thousands protesting in various cities, starting on June 18 after its release.
The protests, initially in Nairobi, spread to Mombasa and Eldoret, President William Ruto’s hometown. The Bill, part of Kenya’s 2024/25 budget, proposed increased taxes on goods and services to boost government revenue.
Key proposals included a 16% VAT on bread, higher taxes on mobile money transfers, and a new 2.5% annual tax on vehicles. It also suggested an eco-tax on environmentally harmful products like plastics, packaging, and tires, raising costs for items like nappies, sanitary towels, computers, and phones. Additional taxes were proposed for certain financial services and foreign exchange transactions.
On June 26, President Ruto rejected the Bill, citing public dissatisfaction. He referred it back to the National Assembly for reconsideration.
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki, now Deputy President, claimed 42 deaths and 1,208 arrests linked to the protests, with 132 missing persons reported.
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During public consultations, 240,000 Kenyans sent memorandums, crashing the Senate’s email system. The Senate received over 200,000 submissions, exceeding its email capacity. Public hearings at KICC in Nairobi also saw hundreds of Kenyans expressing their views.
Senator Samson Cherargei, who sponsored the Bill, faced strong opposition, with over 10,000 messages and 100,000 calls urging him to drop it. The Senate Justice and Legal Affairs Committee recommended against passing the Bill, especially provisions on extending political terms and creating a Prime Minister position.
On June 30, the government withdrew a proposed land levy bill due to legal and constitutional concerns. The National Land Commission criticized it as double taxation.
In September, MP Sabina Chege proposed a law to regulate horticultural crop dealers, which also faced opposition. Other controversial bills, like the Livestock Bill and Mung Bean Bill, raised concerns over additional taxes and registration requirements for farmers, especially small-scale ones. In July, the Livestock Bill was withdrawn for more public consultation.
2024’s Proposed Laws That Ignited Outrage
