SA Reacts to Kenyan President William Ruto Declining to Sign Finance Bill That Sparked Protests

SA Reacts to Kenyan President William Ruto Declining to Sign Finance Bill That Sparked Protests

  • The president of Kenya, William Ruto, has refused to sign the controversial Finance Bill into law after protests disrupted the nation
  • The bill sought to impose higher taxes on the country, and citizens instantly rejected it and set fire to parts of Parliament
  • South Africans applauded the Kenyans for taking a stand against a law they believed was oppressive

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Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, service delivery protests and heritage in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

The president of Kenya William Ruto refused to sign the controversial Finnce Bill
Mzansi applauded Kenyans after William Ruto declined to sign the tax-raising Finance Bill. Image: Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

NAIROBI, KENYA—Kenyan President William Ruto has sent the controversial Finance Bill back to Parliament for amendments after immense public pressure.

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Ruto refuses to sign the bill

According to Reuters, Ruto sent the contentious bill back to Parliament after the nation erupted in protests that turned deadly. The bill aimed to raise taxes, but Kenyans rejected it, embarking on protests that saw parts of the Kenyan parliament burned.

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Members of the public continued to protest and vowed not to stop until the bill was passed. Protesters and law enforcement clashed, and protesters were attacked with teargas. The death toll from the protest reached over 10 people.

Mzansi applauds Kenyans

South Africans discussing the protest and the bill on MDNnewss' tweet applauded the Kenyans for standing up for their rights.

Vukani Dlamini eBazini eCentocow said:

"Kenyans are brave, while South Africans are losers."

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Tsonga King said:

"They must put pressure."

MacNatty said:

"Kenyans are winning."

Lassy Laden said:

"The people shall govern."

Nathi said:

"The protest has really paid off."

James Sizwe Ndabeni said:

"The government has messed up, and unfortunately, this was the only economically viable option."

Gobetse said:

"The streets are the only solution."

Malibngwe said:

"How I wish the black youth of South Africa can learn from this but they are too lazy to fight for anything."

MK Party protests outside Pietermaritzburg court

In another article, Briefly News reported that the MK Party protested outside the Pietermaritzburg Magistrates Court.

The protest followed the arrest of an Independent Electoral Commission employee's arrest after allegedly tampering with ballot boxes.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Tebogo Mokwena avatar

Tebogo Mokwena (Current Affairs editor) Tebogo Mokwena is a Current Affairs Editor at Briefly News. He has a Diploma in Journalism from ALISON. He joined Daily Sun, where he worked for 4 years covering politics, crime, entertainment, current affairs, policy, governance and art. He was also a sub-editor and journalist for Capricorn Post before joining Vutivi Business News in 2020, where he covered small business news policy and governance, analysis and profiles. He joined Briefly News in 2023. Tebogo passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative Email: tebogo.mokwena@briefly.co.za

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