Revolts and repression in Kenya: the debate around the Finance Bill

Translated by Andrea Solazzo

Photo by Michael Kariuki

18 June is the day revolts started in Kenya against the passing of the Finance Bill, the new finance bill presented by the government. These revolts swept through the entire country, shaking some of the most important cities, such as Nairobi, Mombasa, Migori, Kisumu, Nakuru, Meru, Embu, Kakamega. The protesters are mainly young workers and students, although the feeling of discontent with the new financial bill has spread across all generations.

The text of Finance Bill 2024 manifests clear intentions: burdening the population with higher taxes will allow the country to repay, as early as July, substantial loans and interest to other countries and various financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, China's Exim (an import-export bank), and the US. According to Finance Minister Ndung'u, the finance bill is expected to raise 346.7 billion shillings, about USD 2.3 billion, in additional revenue for the country and would enable the country's economic recovery with an estimated 5.5% growth for the year 2024/2025.

Among the most significant provisions initially envisaged in the Finance Bill are: a 36% planned increase in the already existing tax on fuel, the Road Maintenance Levy; a 16% increase in the tax on cancer treatment, which, according to UNFPA, is the third leading cause of death in Kenya; the imposition of a 16% VAT on bread; and a new 2.5% annual tax on cars. The bill also proposes the introduction of an eco-tax on products considered harmful to the environment - such as plastic and tyres - and on other types of goods considered necessary, such as nappies, computers and mobile phones. These include sanitary napkins, the cost of which had already increased by 2022, causing serious problems for the self-esteem and education of many girls, who were forced to drop out of school because of the embarrassment and discomfort caused by the impossibility of taking care of their menstrual hygiene. Other taxes envisaged in the original draft also included VAT at 16% on certain financial services and foreign currency transactions, as well as a taxation of income from the management of digital markets and digital content. Due to the protests, the most controversial measures of the Finance Bill were revised in Parliament, eliminating the tax on bread, the tax on private media and online money transfer services. This, however, was not the goal of the protesters, who demanded an absolute annulment of the bill.

In fact, considering that in Kenya, 10% of the population holds more than half of the national wealth, while about 50% of Kenyans survive on a dollar a day, it is evident that even half of these taxes would bring the local population to its knees.

The protests grew so large that they brought general chaos to the country, to which there was an immediate repressive and violent response from the government. In fact, despite the fact that in Kenya, according to Articles 33 and 37 of the Constitution, the right to express one's opinion and to demonstrate peacefully is allowed, President William Ruto decided to deploy the police force against the protesters, which was then also reinforced by the military. This has triggered a process of state violence, which has increased even more in recent days after the assault, and subsequent temporary occupation, of the Kenyan parliament by protesters. In the centre of Nairobi, where dissent has been strongest, the deployment of the armed forces and their related use of force has resulted in a death toll of 22, some 200 injured and 200 arrested. As reported by Amnesty Kenya, there also appear to have been 21 abductions and disappearances of protesters by uniformed officers, and this too would be a violation of Article 29 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to liberty and security of the person. Fire was also opened against Red Cross volunteers, which constitutes an illegal act under international humanitarian law, and against medical staff who were treating the injured during the protests.

But also in the suburbs the police used an iron fist: the latter, according to the Kenyan national newspaper Nation, used bullets and 958 tear gas against the inhabitants of Githurai, a locality north-west of Nairobi, causing, according to the NGO Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC), at least 30 deaths and 100 injuries. The same police repression was also used in the settlements of Ongata Rongai, in Kajiado County, 17 kilometres south of Nairobi, and so far the number of dead would amount to three, although this figure is still being verified by the NGOs present in the area. The situation would also appear to be the same in the other localities where dissent has flared up.

President William Ruto's statement that he rejects the controversial finance bill in its entirety seems to have been of no use. His opposition is almost superfluous to the passage of the bill, since in Kenya only a parliamentary majority is required to pass a bill.

The Kenyan population does not seem to be willing to put an end to the revolts, which seem to have encompassed a larger unease, that of their own towards their President, so much so that in the streets people are now shouting “Ruto must go”.

Difficult times are forecast for President Ruto, in which, on the one hand, he will have to try to maintain political and social stability within the country, especially if the Finance Bill should indeed be passed, and on the other hand, he will have to find an alternative solution to put Kenya's economy back on track.

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