A sugar workers union has warned of a major backlash if the rejected Finance Bill 2024 is forced down the throats of Kenyans.
The Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation Workers (KUSPAW) Secretary General Francis Wangara said Kenyans will resist attempts to reintroduce the bill.
Speaking in his Kisumu office, Wangara observed that there is nothing good in the contentious bill, noting that reverting to it is a sure recipe for further chaos across the country.
Wangara told the newly appointed Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi to read the mood of Kenyans before making such a move.
He said the courts have already given the government leeway via the Finance Act 2023, which the trade unionist noted has served Kenyans so well.
Wangara called on the government to reduce internal expenditure and also audit public funds.
He singled out the ongoing housing projects where funds used are not made public.
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Mbadi also already hinted at the possibility of reintroducing certain aspects of the bill on the premise that they are good.
He said some of the proposed taxes that led to weeks of deadly protests earlier this year will be reintroduced through a tax amendment bill as the country struggles to find revenue to pay off debts to lenders, including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and China.
The announcement by Mbadi has already drawn criticism from some Kenyans whose anger over the rising cost of living had led demonstrators to storm Parliament and pressure President William Ruto to drop the contentious finance bill and fire most of his Cabinet.
But now some of the proposals in that unpopular finance bill are back.
Mbadi said the tax amendment bill will include dozens of measures, including a tax on goods considered not environmentally friendly.
“This country is not a dumping place,” he said.
Critics had said the tax would increase the cost of goods like sanitary towels and diapers.
Already, the youth-led protest movement has responded to the minister’s remarks, saying demonstrations across Kenya will continue if the bad taxes are brought on board.
By Fredrick Odiero
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