• The legislator insisted that the Bill has a lot of good things in it and young people should be patient.
• Last week, Gen Zs in Kenya staged countrywide protests over the Finance Bill, 2024 calling for its rejection, over punitive taxes.
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Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda now says that most of the youths protesting against the Finance Bill, 2024 have not read it.
According to Jhanda, young people should make a point of reading the Bill and understanding it, then they can take to the streets if they are not satisfied that it is for the good of the country.
"I can tell you for a fact today that 95 per cent of the young people who are in the streets protesting have not read the Finance Bill, 2024. I am telling them as a young leader, go read and understand ukiona mambo iko hivi mkuje maandamano," he said.
The legislator insisted that the Bill has a lot of good things in it and young people should be patient.
He said that one of the issues of contention is the imposition of an eco-levy tax on imported sanitary towels among other products.
Jhanda explained that it is one of the measures put in place by the Kenya Kwanza government to encourage local manufacturing, which will in turn create employment.
"About sanitary towels, what the government is saying is let’s support local companies. Why do we have to create jobs for people from China, and India when we can manufacture locally and our people will get the best and cheaply."
The MP insisted that the Bill is great for the country and has in it, many development projects, and the President should be given full support.
His remarks come amidst protests by Kenyan youths, especially Gen Zs, over the Finance Bill, 2024, which they have termed punitive.
Last week, Gen Zs in Kenya staged countrywide protests over the Finance Bill, 2024 calling for its rejection, over punitive taxes.
The protests began in Nairobi on Tuesday and in Mombasa on Wednesday. On Thursday, various other parts of the country joined the protests including Kisii, Kisumu, Nakuru, Nyeri, Nanyuki, among others.
Despite the protests, 204 Members of Parliament voted in favour of the Bill, as 105 others voted against it.
With the majority having their way, it will now move to the Committee of the whole House where amendments will be made starting Tuesday, next week.