Home » Media Centre » Press » STATEMENT BY THE KENYA OGP CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS MULTISTAKEHOLDER FORUM ON THE #RejectFinanceBill2024 PROTESTS
The President of Kenya has conceded to the calls of the Kenyan people and withdrawn a contentious Finance Bill 2024 that was introduced to the Parliament with the Government’s annual finance and revenue collection proposals for 2024-2025. These were generally aimed at raising local revenue to run some of the country’s major development projects and offset loans from international corporations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
While this is a welcome move as per the wishes of Kenyans, it is with deep concern that the country has watched the Government of Kenya’s response to the countrywide civil protests dubbed #RejectFinanceBill2024. The protests were led by Kenyan youth popularly referred to as “Gen Z” who have been advocating for the immediate withdrawal of the Bill citing over-taxation, high cost of living, unchecked corruption and joblessness.
With utmost concern, we note that the response to the protests went against Open Government Principles of which Kenya is a signatory to and, as the current Global Co-Chair of the Open Government Partnership, should be at the forefront of spearheading its principles, including citizen and stakeholder participation, transparency, accountability and integrity.
Categories: OGP Kenya Press Statement
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