Raila condemns crackdown on protesters, urges Ruto to suspend Finance Bill

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has condemned violence meted out on Kenyans who came out to protest against the Finance Bill 2024 on Tuesday.

Raila says the violent and deadly crackdown on young, peaceful protesters exercising their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression was unwarranted.

“I am disturbed at the murders, arrests, detentions, and surveillance being perpetrated by police on boys and girls who are only seeking to be heard over taxation policies that are stealing both their present and future,” he said

He asked the police to exercise restraint whenever they are dealing with peaceful protesters.

“Police must immediately stop shooting innocent, peaceful and unarmed protesting children who are asking for guarantees of a better tomorrow from the State,”

The grievances and frustrations of the protesting boys and girls run extremely deep and wide and the Finance Bill acted as a trigger.

According to the Azimio leader, the Finance Bill is neither an emergency nor a matter of life and death for the government and Kenyans.

“Kenyans will recall that when there was a standoff in the last Parliament over calls for the reduction of tax on petroleum products from 16 percent to 8 percent, the then Jubilee government agreed to suspend that provision and fell back on the old Finance Act until a consensus was reached,”

“The same can happen today, with the government suspending the current Finance Bill and continuing with the Finance Act of last year,” he said

To end the current impasse, Raila urged the government to immediately and unconditionally withdraw the Finance Bill and make way for a fresh start and dialogue.

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