Much-hyped taxation youth protest in Nairobi fails to take off
By Rawlings Otieno, May 2, 2025The much-touted youth protest that was meant to send message on the rejection of the Finance Bill 2025 on the taxation of basic commodities failed to take place.
The youths were also to protest and demand justice for victims of police brutality, abductions, extrajudicial killings, the rising femicide and violence against women.
The protest convened by Youth Convener Kevin Simba was also meant to show displeasure and voice for public healthcare, education, food security, and dignity for all.
In what would have marked the preliminary first anniversary of the June 25, 2024 Gen-Z protest against the Finance Bill, the Youths would have yet again expressed their displeasure with the Finance Bill 2025.
The People Daily could not immediately establish why the Youths gave the protest a wide berth.
Last year, the Kenya Finance Bill protests, widely known by #RejectFinanceBill2024, or Gen Z protests, were a series of decentralised mass protests in Kenya against tax increases proposed by the Government of Kenya in the Finance Bill 2024.
During the protests, the security personnel shot some protestors with others sustaining serious injuries.
In an invite sent to newsrooms yesterday, the Youths were to stage the protest in a coincidence with the Labour Day celebrations held at Uhuru Gardens led by Cotu.
“We call upon the Youth of this country to discuss and shape our own University funding model. We need to build a movement that is independent, fearless and people-powered,” said Simba in the invite.
In a documentary by British Broadcasting Corporation and aired a few days ago, documents how some trigger happy men in uniform aimed and killed innocent and unarmed protestors to the chagrin of the population and human rights activists.
Despite a parliamentary committee ordering Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority to investigate the deaths on the streets of the capital, Nairobi – and make public its findings – no report regarding the killings at parliament has yet been issued and no-one has been held to account.