Anti-riot police had a busy day on Thursday as protesters opposed to the Finance Bill, 2024 engaged them in running battles.
Nairobi’s CBD remained largely a no-go-zone the better part of the day.
It was the second round of protests called to denounce the introduction of new taxes many have deemed as punitive.
The Finance Bill,2024 is currently before Parliament awaiting voting on Tuesday next week.
It was at the second-reading stage on Thursday.
Unlike Tuesday’s Occupy Parliament protests, Thursday saw the demonstrations held countrywide in major cities and towns as dissent against the proposed taxes grows by the day.
MPs are expected to take a vote on the Bill on Tuesday, June 25.
In Nairobi, anti-riot police had at some point unleashed water cannons on defiant protesters whose focus was on breaching barriers they had erected to cordon off all access roads to Parliament.
After hours of doing battle with the youthful protesters, officers on foot had to retreat to their temporary base on a city street to replenish their teargas canister stock.
They released a protester they had arrested as they prepared to head back to the streets to waiting crowds of protesters.
The protests were concentrated around the Central Business District near Parliament buildings.
Business went on as usual in downtown streets like River Road, Kirinyaga Road, Ronald Ngala and Mfangano Street.
Chair of the Finance Bill Kimani Kuria has since informed the country that several contentious clauses in the Finance Bill, 2024 have been dropped.
They include VAT on bread, Eco levy on locally manufactured products such as diapers and sanitary pads, tax on financial services and foreign exchange transactions, VAT on the transportation of sugar and 2.5 per cent motor vehicle levy.
The protesters have, however, made it clear that they don’t want an amended version of the Bill; they want the entire thing dropped.
Kuria, who is the Molo MP, told the House on Wednesday that the Finance Bill seeks to collect Sh346 billion to bolster efforts to raise Sh2.9 trillion locally in the year.
The government has proposed a budget of Sh3.92 trillion for the 2024-25 financial year.
