In Kenya, in response to a massive protest which led the country to deadly violence on Tuesday, leaving 23 dead, President William Ruto announced on Wednesday June 26 the withdrawal of the 2024-25 draft budget, which provided for tax increases .
This turnaround made the headlines in the national and international press this Thursday, June 27. In collaboration with our colleagues at RFI, we offer you an overview of the media reaction.
In Nairobi, the newspaper Standard title “Mourning, pain and sorrow” in reference to the terrible police repression of the demonstrations, indicating that “these events left at least 23 dead throughout the country, including 18 in Nairobi, and one in Mombasa, Isiolo and Kakamega”, according to figures provided by the Kenya National Human Rights Commission.
The Standard continues by explaining that “after weeks of grandiloquence, President William Ruto finally gave in to popular pressure, choosing not to sign the controversial finance bill, which sparked protests across the country after its adoption in Parliament.
However, the daily asks: “What will happen now? The finance bill is being sent back to the National Assembly,” but the deputies are “currently on vacation. An extraordinary session of Parliament will therefore have to be called, and a two-thirds majority will be necessary to cancel the bill.”
Tension remains high… During recent demonstrations, The World Africa notes that signs caricatured the deputies in
