Embakasi East Member of Parliament (MP) Babu Owino has condemned the arrest of protestors demonstrating against the Finance Bill 2024 in Nairobi Central district (CBD) on Tuesday.
The legislator has called upon the police to release the arrested protestors within 24 hours, as it is their constitutional right to picket and demonstrate peacefully.
“William Ruto, Kenya is not your personal property, and you will not silence the people. We have given the police 24 hours to release these peaceful protestors without charge, or we will move to court against the inspector General of police Koome in his capacity for gross violation of freedom of speech and the right to picket and protest, which enshrined in our constitution 2010,” he said.
Additionally, the MP has urged all Kenyans to hold nationwide demonstrations since the government has not scrapped the proposed levy on imported goods. This will increase the standard of living, as most Kenyans depend on imported products.
“As you remove the taxes on locally manufactured goods and increase the imported goods, the person who is going to bear the cost is the common mwanachi, this is still going to raise the standards of living in the country,” he added.
This comes shortly after several protestors, as seen on social media, have been arrested by police within the Nairobi Central Business District since morning.
Finance and Planning Committee chairperson Kimani Kuria is set to table the Finance Bill 2024 this afternoon in the National Assembly.
