Kenyan President William Ruto has said he will withdraw a finance bill containing controversial tax increases, following deadly protests that led to Parliament being set on fire on Tuesday.
In an address to the nation, he said it was clear that Kenyans “wanted nothing” to do with the bill.
“I admit it,” he said, adding that he will not sign the bill into law.
At least 22 people were killed in Tuesday’s protests, according to the state-funded Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC).
Ruto said he would now engage with young people, who have been at the forefront of the biggest protests to hit the country since he was elected in 2022.
“Listening carefully to the people of Kenya who have said out loud that they want nothing to do with this 2024 Finance Bill, I admit it.
“And therefore, I will not sign the Finance Bill 2024, and it will subsequently be withdrawn. The people have spoken,” he said in the televised speech.
The bill was approved by parliament on Tuesday, despite national demonstrations against it.
Protesters stormed parliament, vandalizing the interior and setting parts of the complex on fire. The ceremonial mace, symbolizing the authority of the legislature, was stolen.
Mr Ruto initially responded with defiance.
He ordered the military to be deployed, saying “violence and anarchy” would not be tolerated.
But he stepped down on Wednesday as public outrage grew over the killing of protesters.
Wanjeri Nderu, head of the International Society for Human Rights, told the BBC that what happened during the protest was “as if we were at war”, adding that police were using live ammunition even before parliament was breached.
The Catholic bishops also condemned the actions of the security forces and “strongly appealed to the police not to fire on protesters,” while also calling on demonstrators to remain peaceful.
The Law Society of Kenya called on international criminal investigators to help the families seek justice, saying it had reports that soldiers were engaging protesters at parliament.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “deeply saddened by reports of deaths and injuries – including among journalists and medical personnel”.
He also urged Kenyan authorities to “exercise restraint” and called for all demonstrations to be peaceful.
The protests occurred despite the government dropping some of the bill’s most controversial proposals amid protests last week.
Protesters demanded that the entire bill be scrapped, which Mr Ruto has now agreed to do.
The original bill proposed taxes on bread, cooking oil, mobile money services, specialized hospitals and motor vehicles – all of which Kenyans said would worsen the cost of living crisis.
