The Kenyan government on Tuesday, June 18, removed most of the unpopular new taxes from its 2024-25 budget proposal, particularly on bread and private vehicles, strongly criticized by the population. A movement to protest these taxes, called “Occupy Parliament”, had been launched in recent days on social networks, and on Tuesday the police dispersed a demonstration of a few hundred people in Nairobi, the capital.
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In the morning, parliamentarians from President William Ruto’s party (Kenya Kwanza), the majority in Parliament, were gathered at the presidential palace. “ The finance bill was amended to remove the proposed VAT of 16% on bread, on the transport of sugar, on financial services, on foreign exchange operations as well as the tax on motor vehicles of 2.5 % », announced the presidency in a press release at the end of this meeting.
Several other taxes, notably on mobile payments and vegetable oil, were also removed from the draft budget.
The government considered these tax measures necessary to restore room for maneuver to the country in a difficult economic context.
Parliament must debate the revised text from Wednesday, with a view to a vote before June 30. “ We will find ourselves in Parliament with a (text) which comes from the executive and which has been questioned by the legislature. Through grassroots participation, the Kenyan people had their say », welcomed Mr Ruto.
The debates took place while a demonstration was repressed in central Nairobi.
Report from the demonstration against the finance law in Nairobi
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