The Kenyan public has been abuzz about no other than Ruto, or as he's also known, Zakayo these last few weeks. As we enter the third week of ongoing protests, we can only hope that things don't boil over and the government begins to heed the cries of its people.
What began as a response to accusations of being digital wankers soon transformed into a #rejectfinancebill protest that has now become an all-out anti-government demonstration. Demands for swift action to tackle corruption, improve accountability, and stabilize the country have been voiced by Gen-Z-led protesters.
Under Ruto’s leadership, the current administration has courted controversy with several graft cases in various ministries, shrouded in unaccountability and overseas trips that appear extravagant and wasteful. To top it off, the country's national debt, a contentious issue, has also been concealed from the public eye. Ruto has tried to offset some of this debt by introducing the finance bill this year. This is essentially a government’s financial plan to raise revenue(tax). Normally, this bill passes unnoticed, but this year was different. Barely a grace period to recover from the raise in taxes last year.
This bill was proposed alongside the budget and appropriations bill, carrying many changes and new taxes, raising suspicions of its rushed process. The Finance Bill, 2024 (National Assembly Bills No. 30 of 2024) was published on 9th May 2024. The Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning submitted it to the National Assembly. Before the Bill was introduced in the House, the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning, the Hon. Kimani Kuria (Molo), sought the agreement of the House to reduce the publication period for the Bill, from seven to four days. Hon. Kuria noted that the move was geared towards allowing the Committee time to conduct public participation.
The bill was introduced to parliament for the first reading on May 13th, and the committee facilitated public participation until June 12th, offering recommendations and amendments (report) on June 18th. Two days later, MPs passed the bill.
Nationwide protests began on the second reading stage on the 18th continuing to the committee stage and third reading, turning more and more violent as time went on. In a daunting moment of chaos, on the 25th of June when the mother of all protests occurred dubbed the 1 million march. Parliament was "breached," leaving the governor's office and city hall vandalized and on fire.
A special parliamentary sitting was called on June 28th to launch the army that had been sent to the streets the previous evening. This resulted in the unfortunate loss of life as a handful of Kenyans on the streets and returning home were killed in Githuria and Juja.
“In exercise of the powers conferred to me by Article 115 (1) (b) of the Constitution and having reservations on the contents of the Bill in its entirety, I decline to assent to the Finance Bill, 2024, and refer the Bill for reconsideration by the National Assembly with the recommendation for the deletion of all the clauses thereof,” Ruto finally conceded to withdraw the finance bill and officially wrote to the speaker of the national assembly Moses Wetangula to reject every clause in the Finance Bill 2024 before it lapsed on the 11th of July as the MPs are on recess till the 23rd of July. In a new communication, Wetang'ula wants MPs and any member of the public with views on how to handle the legislation to the Finance Committee. The finance committee is expected to table its report when the House returns from recess. The House will have 21 days from that sitting to consider the report.
Fast forward to today, Ruto's actions and statements seem like half-hearted attempts to repair a leaking watering can almost empty. If you're looking to engage in digital and offline democracy in Kenya, start by following people and organizations with legitimate information.
Follow people with legitimate information
Creatives to follow
Front line Organizers
Educators/help online
Maandamano Etiquette
If you are in the streets stay vigilant
Stick to groups
Don’t be incited to destroy property
Observe protest time, stop & go home at 5pm
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