President William Ruto's decision not to ascent to the 2024 Finance Bill despite supporting and whipping Kenya Kwanza coalition Members of Parliament (MPs), who are a majority in the National Assembly, to vote for the Bill caught most Kenyans by surprise.
Millions of Kenyans, especially the youth, had anticipated that the President would assent to the Bill and had even planned to 'Occupy State House' in protest.
However, the Head of State made a U-turn following the massive protest held on 25 June 2024, where hundreds of Kenyans breached parliament Buildings, leading to the loss of lives, injuries, and destruction of property.
"Listening keenly to the people of Kenya, who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this Finance Bill 2024, I concede and therefore I will not sign the 2024 Finance Bill and shall subsequently be withdrawn,” he said during a televised address from State House, Nairobi.
MPs and Leaders Displaying Arrogance
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Prior to Ruto's decision, a section of MPs allied to the Kenya Kwanza coalition were vehemently and arrogantly pushing for the Bill, despite concerns by their constituents, who sent them to the National Assembly as their representatives.
On 19th June 2024, the National Assembly Majority Whip Silvanus Osoro criticised Kenyans opposing the 2024 Finance Bill and termed their opposition as an 'ironic and deliberate' campaign to “demonise” President William Ruto’s government.
During an event in Baringo, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah mocked Gen Zs, who were spearheading protests against the Bill, stating that they were privileged and did not understand the challenges facing the ordinary Kenyan.
"The Gen Z have iphones and use Ubers to protest. Wanatoka maandamano wanaingia KFC kukula kuku na minofu, maji ni ile ya chupa...si mliwaona? Hawajui shida stima ni kitu gani...wako na umeme 24/7," he said.
On his part, Kapsaret lawmaker Oscar Sudi claimed the youth were protesting but did not understand the Bill.
"Niliona hao Gen Z, hata mtoto wangu pengine alikuwa hapo, lakini hawaelewi hii finance bill," Sudi divulged.
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, Kitui South lawmaker Rachael Nyamai sensationally stated that some protesters were on the streets to get content for their TikTok accounts.
Nyamai claimed that one of the students she sponsors joined the protests, but when asked why she was on the streets, the student said she was seeking content for her TikTok.
“I asked her why were you on the street, and the girl told me she was not on the street concerning the Bill; she told me she was there for Tiktok,” stated Nyamai.
During the Finance Bill debate in Parliament, Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie claimed that he was a photo expert and that the photos of the protests that were circulating online were from another country.
"Some of the photos we were seeing, I can tell you as a graphic editor that they do not belong to this country. Photos were being taken off the internet and edited and posed as Gen Z," he claimed.
Other legislators, such as Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe, took issue with Gen Z's anti-Finance Bill protest, claiming that it was sponsored by the Illuminati.
While the youth were protesting online against the Bill, President William Ruto’s economic adviser David Ndii put out a post on X, mocking the demos and terming it as “wanking.”
"Politics is a contact sport. Digital activism is just wanking. Any jackass can kick down a barn but it takes a good carpenter to build one,” Ndii posted.
Amidst the protests against the proposed taxes, Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Ruku sponsored a Bill that sought to curtail Kenyans' rights during demonstrations.
MPs Eat Humble Pie
The MPs were operating under the belief that the Bill had to pass for the government to operate accordingly, as showcased above, some of the MPs displayed arrogance and dismissed the concerns of their electorate.
However, they were left with eggs on their faces after the President declined to support the Bill, leaving them at an unpleasant place with the electorate who some of the legislators displayed arrogance towards.
Following Ruto's decision, some of the MPs appear to have remembered that the people are supreme and are now apologising for what they term an error of judgement.
In an X post, the Mbeere North MP announced that he'd be withdrawing the Demonstration Bill which had been widely criticized by Kenyans.
"I have heard the voice of Kenyans and therefore decided to withdraw the Assembly and Demonstration Bill, 2024 (National Assembly Bills No. 28 of 2024). I will officially be writing to the Speaker of the @NAssemblyKE to withdraw the #MaandamanoBill," he posted.
The Dagoretti South MP, who had accused Kenyans of sharing fake photos online, apologised and stated that he deeply regretted his remarks, which he said were unnecessary, misguided, and insensitive.
"I truly apologise for the comments I made regarding the protests and the authenticity of certain images. In the heat of the moment during the debate on the Finance Bill, my words were unnecessary, misguided, and insensitive. I deeply regret my utterances," Kiarie stated.
In a Facebook post, Keiyo South MP Gideon Kimaiyo apologised for supporting the Finance Bill and vowed to listen more to his constituents.
"The nation is bigger than me or anyone else. After our parliamentary group meeting today, we have agreed to withdraw the finance bill. The 200 billion we were looking for in the finance bill should not make us lose our country. I apologise to all Keiyo South People for voting YES to the finance bill. Going into the future, I promise to listen more to sauti ya Mwanainchi," he said.
While addressing the media in Turkana Central, area MP Emathe Namuar offered his apology, stating: "If there is a way we did wrong for those of us who voted YES, we ask for your forgiveness."
In Nakuru East, MP David Gikaria and his wife wore t-shirts branded with 'I'm sorry' in apology for voting 'Yes' for the 2024 Finance Bill.
In Kenya, an MP serves for five years, after which they must seek re-election. This may be the reason some have decided to apologise in a bid to mend their differences with the electorate.
However, the truth will be seen in the 2027 general election, as a section of Kenyans have vowed to deal with legislators who failed to address their concerns about the Finance Bill.
