People are on the streets expressing a collective rage, although the finance Bill was a straw that broke the camel’s back, and the slogans, I reject the finance Bill. People are also here because doctors are not paid, but the government or the president will rent a plane for 200 million to go see genocide. Joe, ready before me, particularly with the finance Bill, there’s going to be a tax on bread and there’s going to be taxes on cancer treatment. There’s going to be taxes on sanitary towels. So people are outraged. Certainly, I don’t think the government saw it coming, the extent of this rage, but it’s a collective rage that comes from just an accretion of violations on Kenyans who just can’t take it anymore. We are peaceful. Iya.
Young people need to be involved, not just because they’re the largest demographic in this country, but also because their futures are being stolen. There’s no jobs. University fees have been tripled and they’re getting much less than we got when we’re in university. This demographic, if Rex Kanyke who was killed on Thursday, 29 years old, and Evan’s key right to was killed on Thursday who are 21 year old on the streets. It’s because they feel this. You can’t, they can’t fall any lower in this life. Like they put their bodies on the line. 5 mau kita semua.
The current understanding is that the tentacles of the IMFA behind this Bill, which is really calling for a lot of austerity, but equally a lot of taxes. For us, we just understand it as the same playbook for Africa, where in focus is not The 70% of Kenyans on Arabians who live in informal settlements. In focus is not the tho millions of Kenyans who are struggling for healthcare, but some deal made between a president who currently does not represent us and an institution which has the same playbook for Africa, which still demands the same levels of austerity and disinvestment from social services that they did in the 90s.
During the structural Adjustment period, these tax, proposed taxes affected every color of ner Kenya’s demographic. You could see that on the streets today, whether it was students, engineers, bankers, unemployed, motorbike riders who we call boda border riders, everyone from all walks of life, Muslims, Christians, everyone. It was a cross class and cross ethnic mobilization. And I think this is what has really shocked this government. Certainly while the logo is often, or the banner is reject the Finance Bill, it’s bigger than this. People want a Kenya where everyone can live.