Breaking: President Ruto returns controversial tax bill to parliament

In what would be considered a huge win for protesting Kenyans, President William Ruto has declined to sign the controversial 2024 Finance Bill after it passed committee change at Parliament on Tuesday. The tax bill was opposed by citizens, opposition lawmakers, and civil society.

Ruto returned the bill to parliament on Wednesday.

It is a huge concession after Ruto denounced Tuesday’s protests which left eight people dead, describing the events as “treasonous.” The president claimed the protests were “hijacked by dangerous people” and called upon security organs to restore calm.

“The government will therefore uphold its constitutional mandate to secure our nation and its development and shall treat every threat to national security and the integrity of our state as an existential danger to our Republic,” he said in a nationwide broadcast.

*This is a developing story.