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Here is what you need to know to get up to speed with today’s happenings.

Ruto in South Korea

After his highly-publicised visit to the United States recently, President William Ruto left for another foreign trip on Monday, June 3, 2024.

The president left for South Korea for the Korea-Africa Summit that will begin today. The summit targets to build strong relations between South Korea and Africa; foster mutual growth, tackle global challenges, and reinforce solidarity for peace and security.

Finance bill storm

The 2024 Finance Bill continues to dominate public debate and news headlines and is expected to remain so throughout the day.

The latest political heavyweight to add his voice to the matter is Wiper Democratic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka. The opposition figure, while in Borabu, Kisii County, on June 3, 2024, said the Members of Parliament allied to the Azimio La Umoja-Kenya Moja alliance have been told to oppose the bill.

“Our MPs are under instructions to reject the bill, and those in Kenya Kwanza who see sense that the Finance Bill will hurt Kenyans if implemented will join them and reject it equally.

“This 2024 Finance Bill is about President William Ruto and the middle-class Kenyans who he wants to kill because of his political survival in 2027,” Kalonzo said.

The former Mwingi MP said the provisions of the Finance Bill will make Kenyans poor and said it needs to be resisted.

“These punitive taxes are meant to make Kenyans more vulnerable so that he can easily manipulate them before the next general elections. We can’t tolerate these taxes anymore, and I am asking all Kenyans to rise up and resist them at all costs,” he added.

Muguka ban

The move by the coastal counties of Kilifi, Mombasa, and Taita Taveta to ban muguka continues to generate heat.

As muguka-producing counties pile pressure to have the ban lifted, political leaders from the coast have come together to stand with their governors over the issue.

The Coast Parliamentary Group (CPG), led by its chair, Danson Mwashako, supported the ban by pointing out its health-related dangers.

“We engaged with experts, including medical doctors and psychologists, who presented compelling evidence showing muguka’s harmful effects. It not only turns young people into ‘zombies,’ but also reduces sperm count by 50 percent, posing a generational risk.

“We have ample justification to support the ban and aim to escalate this battle to the legislative level. It is just the beginning; we will seek parliamentary approval to empower regions to ban harmful products,” CPG said in a statement read by the chair.