Kenyans believed they had won when the Finance Bill 2024 was rejected after massive protests in June, but Kimani Ichung’wah has now admitted that nearly all of its contents were passed in December.
As Majority Leader in the National Assembly, Ichung’wah shamelessly confirmed that “everything that was in the Finance Bill 2024 was eventually passed in December 2024,” except for a few contentious clauses.
This means that the bill Kenyans fought hard against has quietly been forced into law without their knowledge or consent. It is a slap in the face to the same citizens who poured into the streets demanding a stop to oppressive taxes.
Back in June, thousands of mostly young Kenyans, especially from Gen Z, protested what they saw as greedy and unjust taxes on basic items like bread, diapers, sanitary towels, and digital services.
President William Ruto was pushed into a corner and made a public show of withdrawing the bill. Kenyans sighed with relief, thinking their voices had finally made a difference. But now it turns out it was all a performance.
According to Ichung’wah, about 97% of the bill made its way into law during a quiet parliamentary session in December 2024, at a time when many Kenyans were distracted by the holidays and not following political developments closely.
Ichung’wah tried to defend the government’s actions, claiming that the quiet move allowed time to correct public “misunderstandings.”
He insisted that taxes on items like diapers and sanitary towels only applied to imports and were meant to promote local production. But that explanation does not ease the anger or betrayal many Kenyans now feel.
For young families struggling to afford diapers or sanitary products, whether imported or not, the cost of living is still rising. Prices have crept up in ways that many didn’t expect, and it now makes sense why. The government had been pushing through the same rejected taxes behind closed doors while the public was unaware.
The question now is whether Kenya’s leaders respect the will of the people at all. Why go through the motions of pretending to listen in June only to reintroduce the same harmful laws later?
What kind of democracy pretends to pause only to act secretly later? Kimani Ichung’wah’s statement confirms what many have feared that Parliament is no longer working for the people but for a political class that hides the truth and prioritizes revenue over justice.
It also exposes the disturbing trend of disguising oppressive taxes as support for local industry. If the intention was genuinely to support local businesses, why not communicate openly and seek public input? Why hide behind deception?
This situation shows that Kenyans were not wrong to protest. They saw through the government’s lies early on, but the betrayal runs deeper than expected.
Kimani Ichung’wah’s proud admission is not just a statement it is a confession of political dishonesty. And it should not go unchallenged. If laws can be passed this quietly after being rejected by the people, then what power do the people really have?
Kenya is being pushed into a corner by leaders who speak democracy but practice dictatorship. And Kimani Ichung’wah is proudly at the center of it.
