Brace for Resumption of Weekly Protests - Raila

Azimio leader Raila Odinga has told Kenyans to brace for the resumption of weekly demos, citing the Kenya Kwanza government's unwillingness to listen to their complaints and lower cost of living. 

He criticised President William Ruto's administration for disregarding Kenyans' grievances and instead focusing on enforcing new taxes through the Finance Bill. The ODM leader's statement came at Chungwa House when he met members of the Gusii Community living in Nairobi.

The delegation was led by Nairobi County Assembly Majority Whip Moses Ogeto and Jackson Ontegi, the community leader in Nairobi. Raila announced that together with fellow Azimio principals, the coalition will on Thursday divulge the future course of action on the contentious Finance Bill 2023 Finance Bill. The government is promoting the enactment of the bill without any modifications, despite the disapproval of citizens, human rights organizations, and labour unions. 

"They want to table the controversial Bill in Parliament tomorrow for the second reading and then have the Treasury CS present the budget statement on Thursday next week. They are determined to have it passed, but Kenyans will resist," stated Raila.  

The former Prime Minister asked the public to come out in full force upon the restoration of the weekly protests. On Monday, President William Ruto's allies in parliament declared the debatable Finance Bill a done deal, even as the opposition promised to announce their definitive stance on Thursday. The National Assembly Minority Whip Silvanus Osoro claimed that up to 50 opposition MPs are quietly behind the Bill, proving that it has backing from different political leanings.