Kenyan youth lead Ruto to his Damascus moment  

President William Ruto, faced with pressure from the international community and his options wearing thin amid heightened deadly anti-tax protests, beat a hasty retreat eating humble pie on the controversial Finance Bill, 2024.
 
With all eyes on his next move after his much-criticised Tuesday evening address to the Nation, the President climbed down from his earlier hardline, saying he will not sign the bill altogether.
 
On Tuesday, the Head of State did not address the growing outrage over the controversial finance bill and instead laid blame on “dangerous criminals” for being behind the fatal protests.

Read: Inside State House night meetings that informed rejection of Finance Bill
 
But with the noose getting tighter around his administration with another round of protest planned for today (Thursday, June 27), President Ruto made a hasty about-turn to send condolences to families who lost their loved ones in the demonstrations.
 
Adopting a humble demeanour, the President further said he would not sign the controversial bill and would instead send it back to Parliament with a memorandum outlining his rejection.
 
He said the decision is collective and hence will not be challenged by MPs and were it to be challenged, it would take 233 out of 349 MPs, or a two-thirds majority, to overturn his decision.
 
“…listening keenly to the people of Kenya who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this finance bill, I concede and therefore I will not sign it and it shall consequently be withdrawn…,” said Dr Ruto.
 
The development was therefore a swift climb down by the President, who had earlier cut an abrasive mien warning that his administration is ready to deploy its security apparatus to secure “our nation” following the unprecedented demonstrations that left at least six people dead.
 
Reducing the protests to treasonous events, the President came out guns blazing, saying the demonstration was hijacked by dangerous criminals who reigned terror on innocent people and attempted to challenge “our law enforcement deployments”.
He argued that the events “mark a critical turning point in how we respond to grave threats to our national security”.
 
“I assure the nation that the Government has mobilised all the resources at the nation’s disposal to ensure that a situation of this nature will not recur again, at whatever cost,” said the Commander-in-Chief.
 
“It is not in order or even conceivable that criminals pretending to be peaceful protesters can reign terror against the people, their elected representatives and the institutions established under our constitution and expect to go Scot-Free,” he added.

Read: WATCH: DP Rigathi's full speech on the protests, NIS
 
But with the Kenya Kwanza administration facing a pivotal phase and the President caught between a rock and a hard place with pressure mounting from different leaders urging him not to assent to the contentious Bill, hurriedly approved by MPs on Tuesday, he had no choice but to throw his troops under the bus.
 
The international community had also expressed their concerns over the ongoing protests with the United Nations condemning the violence meted on protesters in Kenya during Tuesday’s demonstrations.
 
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a statement, expressed concern over the violence, urging there be peaceful protests.
 
“I am deeply saddened by the reports of deaths and injuries, including of journalists and medical personnel, connected to protests and street demonstrations in Kenya,” he said.
 
African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki also expressed his concern, urging all stakeholders to maintain calm and refrain from further violence.
 
Mr Faki asked the government to engage in a dialogue so as to address the issues that led to the protest.

Read: Kenyans invaded Parliament. What it means and why State should be worried
 
Ambassadors and High commissioners from countries including Britain, the US and Germany also echoed similar sentiments in a joint statement where they called for restraint on all sides.
 
Foreign missions in Kenya also condemned the violence that has marked the ongoing demonstrations, which have resulted in deaths, injuries, and claims of abductions.
In a joint statement, 13 countries expressed concern over the violence witnessed across the country since the demos began last week.
 
“We are deeply concerned by the violence witnessed in many parts of the country during the recent protests, and are especially shocked by the scenes witnessed outside the Kenyan Parliament,” read in part the statement.
 
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta urged President Ruto to listen to the people, embrace dialogue and speak to the people and not at the people.
He emphasised that it is the right of every Kenyan to protest as determined by the constitution promulgated in 2010.
 
“Listening to the people is not a choice but a mandate enshrined in the principles of our constitution and in the very basis and philosophy of democracy,” said Mr Kenyatta.
 
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga also called for dialogue to resolve the impasse instead of resorting to a violent and deadly crackdown on young, peaceful protesters exercising their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
 
He said he had hoped that the government would at least listen to the youth but instead, every dissenting opinion has been dismissed and ridiculed by government officials and ruling party politicians and such dissenting voices are now being silenced by brutality and murder.
 
The ODM leader accused the government of suspending the constitution by unleashing brute force on Kenyans.
 
“We can't and won't tolerate any extra minute of this murder spree and violence that could have been and can still be avoided,” said the former premier.
 
“Kenya cannot afford to kill its children just because the children are asking for food, jobs and a listening ear. This Bill is neither an emergency nor a life-and-death matter for the government and Kenyans,” he added.
 
He called on the East African Community, the African Union and the United Nations to immediately be seized of the unfolding situation to save lives and the country.
The climb-down comes after the President had asked MPs to expedite the passage of the bill, saying that it is only when the bill is approved that Kenyans can access services.
 
“I am asking MPs who are here to expedite what is in Parliament (Finance Bill) so that we can transit these well-deserving teachers who have been teaching for the last two years and make them permanent and pensionable,” said the President while speaking during Garissa University’s fifth graduation Thursday last week.
 
Two days earlier, he had lauded the National Assembly Finance committee for announcing several amendments to the contentious bill.
According to the President, the move to withdraw some of the proposals hugely protested against by Kenyans demonstrates that the government he leads listens to its citizens.
 
Commenting on the matter after chairing a Kenya Kwanza parliamentary group meeting at State House, the President noted that the changes announced will ensure there is no extra burden exerted on the taxpayer.

“We have had a robust public engagement on the proposed Finance Bill. We have adjusted the document accordingly,” the President posted on his X account, formerly Twitter.
 
“We are going to end up with a product in Parliament that came from the Executive and has been interrogated by the Legislature. Through public participation, the people of Kenya have had a say,” added Dr Ruto.
 
Days later, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi would add more fuel to the fire, saying the net effect of the rejection of the bill could be compared to the ouster of the ruling government.
 
He likened the failure of the bill to a “vote of no confidence” on President Ruto’s administration.
 
“It is equal to a vote of no confidence in a government. This is not something to joke around with,” said Mr Mudavadi.
 
Read: Anti-tax demonstrations rock 35 counties as youths take over Parliament Buildings

But Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, while addressing the media in Mombasa after his boss, said the move by the President was an acknowledgement that there is a disconnect between the people and their government.
 
“I want to put myself in the shoes of parents who have lost their young children and appreciate the pain, anguish, and torment of innocent young children whose only crime was to air their views in a democratic country,” said DP Gachagua.
 
He urged the President to embrace listening to Kenyans instead of castigating people with different views and opinions, saying it is time for leaders to tone down and stop the habit of talking down to the people.
 
“I would like to thank the President for listening to the people as he should. The President, myself and elected leaders are servants of the people. Going forward, this should be the norm; listening to the people,” he said.

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