Makueni County Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior on June 30, 2024, announced that his administration had decided to withdraw the county Finance Bill 2024, after facing strong opposition from the residents.
Mutula Kilonzo withdrew the entire bill to avoid upsetting the residents who were unhappy about the proposed tax increase.
Speaking to the media, Mutula mentioned that he pulled back the Finance Bill because he got information that people in Makueni were getting ready to protest against it.
The Bill included new daily and monthly taxes for hawkers, small businesses, and vendors in the county.
Makueni county’s Finance Executive, Damaris Kavoi, revealed that some of the new taxes including Ksh30,000 for clearing flammable materials with fire engines, Ksh3,000 per day for taking wedding photos at Makongo Viewpoint, and Ksh100 for each trip using commercial donkeys.
Makueni County Proposed Taxes
Further the bill proposed raising the tax on a tractor load of sand for household use by Ksh400.
In addition, Governor Mutula Kilonzo assured that they might reconsider the tax changes once the economy gets better.
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“We sat as Cabinet and decided not to implement our new tax proposals this year after traders said they could not afford them, citing tough economic times. We will revisit the proposals in the next financial year when the economy improves,” Makueni County Governor noted.
On June 25, and June 27, 2024, angry youth protesters camped in Wote Town and criticized Kilonzo Junior for the tax increase plan.
Other residents used social media to pressure the Governor to cancel the tax hikes, with activist Willie Malile noting that after dealing with protests against President Ruto’s Finance Bill, they would focus on fighting against punitive taxes in Makueni.
Ruto Declines to Sign the Finance Bill
On the other hand, in national matters, on June 26 President William Ruto declined to sign the Finance Bill, 2024 following nationwide uproar.
The head of state noted that he withdrew the entire bill after listening to the people of Kenya especially the yong Generazion Z who protested the Finance Bill 2024.
Also Read: Kenya is Headed in the Right Direction – Ruto
This came after a series of anti-finance bill protests with the worst one happening on Tuesdya, June 25 where a section of protesters stormed into Parliament.
As a result, part of the building was set on fire and property destroyed forcing Members of Parliament who had just passed the bill to flee for their safety.
In the incident, several youth lost their lives after allegedly being shot by police officers.
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