The Famos Lentini Podcast crew got together to discuss the ongoing protest in the country of Kenya regarding the proposed taxes by the Kenyan government.
THE ISSUE:
The Kenya Finance Bill protests, widely known by hashtag #RejectFinanceBill2024, are a series of ongoing decentralized mass protests in Kenya against tax increases proposed by the Government of Kenya in the Finance Bill 2024.
In May 2024, the proposed tax increases were heavily criticized by younger Kenyans especially concerned with the increase in taxes, and these younger Kenyans have "guided the protests" They initially mobilized online using social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Young activists circulated calls to action, translated the bill into several local languages, used the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT to answer questions about the bill, and leaked the phone numbers of political leaders to allow protestors to spam them with SMS and WhatsApp messages.
Peaceful protests began on 18 June in Nairobi, leading to widely condemned arrests. On 19 June, Parliament amended the bill, removing some controversial clauses. However, the bill was nonetheless passed the next day, leading to nationwide protests and heavy clashes with security forces. On 25 June protestors stormed the Parliament buildings, leading to clashes with police that resulted in at least 22 deaths and numerous injuries.
On 26 June, Kenyan President William Ruto addressed the nation and informed them that he would not sign the 2024 Finance Bill, stating that it will be withdrawn and he had come to an agreement with the MPs of his party for that to be their collective position.
