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Kenya’s Ruto says further tax-hike protests will not be allowed

Kenya’s Ruto says further tax-hike protests will not be allowed

KENYAN President William Ruto vowed that protests planned next week would not be allowed following two rounds of demonstrations that have left at least 15 people dead. Opposition leader Raila Odinga's party called earlier in the day for three more days of protests from next Wednesday against tax hikes that Ruto signed into law last month. Ruto beat Odinga in last August's election. He pledged to be a champion for the poor, but his critics say the tax rises will hurt Kenyans already struggling to afford basic commodities such as maize flour. "Elections ended August 9 last year. You cannot look for…
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Kenya’s opposition leader rallies supporters to boycott new taxes

Kenya’s opposition leader rallies supporters to boycott new taxes

KENYA'S opposition leader Raila Odinga asked his supporters to boycott a raft of new taxes on items including fuel and housing, stoking a potential confrontation with the government of his rival President William Ruto. The levies were contained in a finance bill that was signed into law by Ruto on Monday. "Through civil disobedience, we will deny Ruto the taxes he thinks he can extort from us by force," Odinga told thousands of cheering and dancing supporters at a rally in the capital Nairobi. Under the new revenue measures, the fuel tax will double to 16% and workers will also…
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Kenyan president’s tax hikes alienate his ‘hustler’ base

Kenyan president’s tax hikes alienate his ‘hustler’ base

EIGHTY percent of voters in this constituency in the heart of Kenyan tea country cast their ballots for William Ruto last August, helping the self-proclaimed champion of impoverished "hustlers" score an upset presidential election win. Less than a year later, it is hard to find anyone in Githunguri willing to speak up in his defence. Since Ruto came to office, prices for staple food items have continued to rise. Ruto has also faced criticism for increasing allocations to his office and the deputy president's while cutting petrol subsidies. Now, a proposal to hike taxes on petrol and housing is fuelling the…
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Kenya’s budget doesn’t allocate funds for new education initiatives – this will stall innovation in the country

Kenya’s budget doesn’t allocate funds for new education initiatives – this will stall innovation in the country

PRESIDENT William Ruto’s first budget for Kenya sets no education priorities. The Finance Bill 2023 doesn’t make it clear what Kenya is trying to achieve – stronger foundational learning, technical and vocational skills, or innovation. Author MOSES NGWARE, Senior Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center This is despite the importance placed on deepening technical capacity to drive economic growth, and education reforms spelt out in the official policy. This also comes against the backdrop of a political campaign promise to “bridge current teacher shortage gap of 116,000 within two financial years”. The allocation to education in the 2023/24…
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KENYA: President accuses tax agency of graft

KENYA: President accuses tax agency of graft

KENYA'S President William Ruto accused the tax collection agency's staff of cutting government revenue by engaging in corruption, colluding with tax evaders and taking bribes. Ruto, who was elected last August on a platform of helping the poor, has had a rough ride in the first months of his term due to growing government debt repayments, revenue collection shortfalls and persistently high prices of basic commodities. Public service employees have complained of salary delays in recent months while local authorities have threatened to shut down their operations to protest against delayed cash disbursements from the national government. "Collusion, wanton bribe-taking and general…
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Kenya sets up inquiry into cult deaths, leader to remain in prison

Kenya sets up inquiry into cult deaths, leader to remain in prison

KENYAN President William Ruto has appointed a commission of inquiry into the deaths of more than 100 people believed to have starved themselves to death, while a court ordered that their alleged cult leader remains in prison. Kenyan authorities say the dead were members of the Good News International Church led by Paul Mackenzie, who they say predicted the world would end on April 15 and instructed his followers to kill themselves to be the first to go to heaven. The death toll stands at 111 but could rise further, in one of the worst cult-related disasters in recent history. Kenyan President William Ruto…
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Kenya opposition says it suspends protests after agreement with government

Kenya opposition says it suspends protests after agreement with government

KENYA'S opposition said they had suspended the latest anti-government protests planned after reaching an agreement with the government of President William Ruto. In a statement, the opposition Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) alliance, led by veteran opposition politician Raila Odinga, said its leadership had met and "agreed to once more suspend the mass protests that we had earlier scheduled to continue tomorrow." The decision to suspend the protests was taken after Ruto's ruling Kenya Kwanza (Kenya First) alliance agreed "to one of our demands," according to the statement. The opposition did not provide details of the agreement. On Monday…
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Kenyan anti-government protests resume with police firing tear gas

Kenyan anti-government protests resume with police firing tear gas

KENYAN police fired tear gas at a small group of protesters in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday as the opposition resumed anti-government demonstrations following a one-month pause. The main opposition coalition organised three days of demonstrations in March to protest high living costs and alleged fraud in last year's election, which its leader Raila Odinga lost to President William Ruto. Those protests were marred by clashes between police and demonstrators as well as sporadic incidents of violence, including one that Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki termed as "ethnically-laced arson" when a church and mosque were set ablaze in Nairobi's Kibera neighbourhood. Odinga suspended…
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Kenyan opposition ready to talk to government, resume protests

Kenyan opposition ready to talk to government, resume protests

KENYA'S opposition alliance is prepared to negotiate with the government over electoral reforms and the high cost of living, while also resuming protests, opposition leader Raila Odinga said. In early April, Odinga ended anti-government protests after an appeal from President William Ruto but said at the time they could resume within days if there was no meaningful engagement or response from the government. Thousands participated in three marches held over two weeks in late March and early April. The protests, in part stirred by accusations of fraud in last August's presidential election, were all marred by violence. "Kenyans are standing firm. We have…
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Kenya prosecutor stops case against MPs after protests suspended

Kenya prosecutor stops case against MPs after protests suspended

HUMPHREY MALALO KENYA'S top prosecutor has dropped charges against four lawmakers over anti-government protests, a day after opposition leader Raila Odinga suspended the demonstrations, their lawyer said. Odinga said on Sunday he was ready for talks with President William Ruto, as long as authorities halted arrests connected to the protests, and addressed his concerns about the rising cost of living and reforms to the electoral system. "The case has been withdrawn ... for the sake of peace, dialogue and justice between the accused persons and the state," lawyer Danstan Omari told Reuters. Thousands took part in three marches over the past two…
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