NAIROBI, Kenya — Dozens of protesters have been arrested in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, in ongoing protests against proposed tax hikes in a finance bill that is due to be tabled in parliament.
Police hurled tear-gas canisters at hundreds of demonstrators on Tuesday, forcing businesses to temporarily close for fear of looting. Some major tax proposals in the bill were dropped after a Tuesday morning meeting between ruling party MPs and President William Ruto.Poor Kenyans feel devastated by floods and brutalized by the government’s responseThe chairperson of the finance committee, Kuria Kimani, said the proposal to introduce a 16% VAT tax on bread had been dropped.
“I persuaded and I made a case to the people of Kenya that we must begin to enhance our revenue,” Ruto added.