Kenyan President William Ruto said Wednesday that a bill containing contentious tax hikes would "be withdrawn", dramatically reversing course after more than 20 people died and parliament was ransacked by protesters opposed to the legislation. "I concede and therefore I will not sign the 2024 finance bill and it shall subsequently be withdrawn," Ruto told a press briefing, adding: "The people have spoken." Ruto's administration has been taken by surprise by the intensity of opposition to its tax hikes, with protests breaking out across the country last week. The state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said it had recorded 22 deaths and 300 injured victims, adding that they would launch an investigation. Frustration over the rising cost of living spiralled last week as lawmakers began debating the bill containing the tax hikes.
