ANOTHER LOOMING STORM IN PARADISE

President William Ruto faces threats of impending danger as Kenyans set to reject the recent 2025 finance bill.

This follows a move by Civil society groups to campaign against the controversial bill.

The Institute of Social Accountability (TISA) and the Okoa Uchumi coalition, have come out urging Kenyans to reject the bill which is punitive to hustlers while shielding the political class .

“This Finance Bill is punishing the poor to protect the powerful, It’s designed to squeeze every last coin from ordinary Kenyans while high-ranking officials continue to enjoy tax exemptions and inflated budgets," Alexander Ritih ,TISA Head of Programmes stated during a press briefing in Nairobi.

Critics have seen the 2025/26 budget as indifferent from Ruto's bottom up manifesto which promised to uplift hustlers, but it turns out imposing harsh levies that could paralyze micro businesses , drastically raise the cost of basic goods and services , such as; food, transport, clean energy, and healthcare .Increased VAT and ambiguous allocations to top government offices, including the First Lady's Office has also raised eye brows.

“This is not a budget for the people. It’s a blueprint for oppression, we urge Kenyans to raise their voices and reject it before it’s too late," Ritih added..

Treasury CS, John Mbadi has tried defending the bill as aimed at filling a Sh600 billion budget gap, but Kenyans are least buying his idea.

Trouble looms for the government as the Legislative arm set to propose or oppose the bill. Speculations have it that proposing this budget would trigger public uproar and ultimately cause a repeat of what the country witnessed in 2024 –where the GenZs came out putting up a spirited protest against the then controversial bill.

This backlash from the Youthful protesters went at an extent of occupying the parliament and the President was forced to drop the bill and dismiss his cabinet. A repeat of such would definitely be a set back to President Ruto's government.