Mr. President, You Bowed to Public Pressure: You Are No Savior

We typically avoid political commentary on this blog, as our focus is elsewhere and we don't want to alienate our readership. If political discourse isn't your cup of tea, feel free to skip this post.

The past few weeks have been tumultuous, with both local and international media casting a grim light on recent events. What started as well-intentioned, peaceful, youth-led protests against the Finance Bill 2024 quickly descended into violence and chaos. One might wonder: could these unfortunate events have been prevented? Was there a chance for reason to prevail among government officials and civil society before the situation spiraled out of control with occupations of parliament, threats on State House, and the destruction of personal businesses?

Now that the dust is settling, the nation is trying to piece itself back together. Our President, bowing to public pressure, decided to scrap the entire Finance Bill, instructing parliament to delete all its articles and start over. But can such a complete reversal actually happen?

In the same breath, the President signed the Appropriations Bill (now Act) 2024 into law, indicating an intention to spend even without a corresponding revenue collection bill. For those unfamiliar, the Appropriations Act is the annual budget presented by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, representing the government's actual spending plan.

By doing a complete about-face on his own MPs, the President has put their political careers, families, homes, and businesses at risk. His last-minute decision to abandon the bill seemed more like a move from an authoritarian playbook, where the leader's word is absolute. If he had allowed parliament to reject the bill independently, he would have better respected the separation of powers outlined in our Constitution.

Unfortunately, most Members of Parliament were misled into toeing the party line, believing that rejecting the Finance Bill 2024 would signal no confidence in the government. This narrative, pushed by senior members of the Executive, continues to be propagated.

What is most alarming in the aftermath of these events is the prioritization of property over people, a stance taken by the President himself. This led to the deployment of crudely armed militias by businesspeople to protect their properties on the streets of Nairobi. Some allege these militias were funded for political purposes.

The message is clear: the President and his government failed to protect Kenyans. All the consequences of these events should fall at his doorstep, and at no time should he claim to be a savior of sorts. Maybe, just maybe he did actually achieve the Vote of No Confidence on his government after all!