- The lawmaker thanked the protesters for their courage and honesty regarding the Finance Bill.
- She added that when Kenyans put their minds together, the country makes progress.
Image: FILE
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has called on law enforcement officers to exercise restraint ahead of the Finance Bill protests scheduled for Thursday.
Kenyans on social media have vowed to hold Finance Bill protests across the country on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the protest came ahead of the tabling of the Finance Bill, 2024 report by the National Assembly's Finance and Planning Committee.
The protests were aimed at influencing and pressuring MPs to vote against the Bill and its proposed taxes which have been perceived as ‘punitive’.
In a statement on Facebook, Waiguru said that the government is listening to the opinions of Kenyans.
"I understand fellow Kenyans will be back out tomorrow. Every person, peaceably and unarmed, has a right to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket, and to present petitions to public authorities in Kenya," she said.
I therefore humbly urge law enforcement agencies to show restraint from the use of excessive force on peaceful demonstrators. Meanwhile, we are listening."
The lawmaker thanked the protesters for their courage and honesty regarding the Finance Bill.
She added that when Kenyans put their minds together, the country makes progress.
National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah defended the Finance Bill saying it will create jobs for the youth and future generations.
"I want to speak to the young people who are in the streets, the young people who have been mobilising colleges and universities around our country to send members messages of rejecting the Finance Bill," he said.
"This Finance Bill is about protecting yourself and our children, it is about creating jobs for you as our children. It is about ensuring that the future of our economy is secure."
He said the future generation will only be secured if the manufacturing sector is nurtured now.
Tuesday’s protests dubbed Occupy Parliament coincided with the tabling of the Bill in the House.
Several Kenyans were arrested for participating in the #OccupyParliament protests.
Police in plain clothes arrested protesters who were converging at various meeting points within the Central Business District.
Those who attempted to assemble outside the National Centre, National Archives, Kencom and Jeevanjee grounds were swiftly arrested.
As Kenyans protested in the CBD, the lawmakers held a conference where they announced a raft of amendments to the Finance Bill.
The government said it had listened to Kenyans and dropped the proposed VAT on bread, transportation of sugar, financial services and foreign exchange transactions, Excise duty on vegetable oil and 2.5 per cent Motor Vehicle Tax has was dropped.