The head of the Wiper Party, Kalonzo Musyoka, is the most recent member of the Opposition to praise the young people’s resistance to the Finance Bill of 2024.
On Thursday, Kalonzo expressed his support for them in a statement.
Their voices are being heard across the nation, according to the former vice president.
“I salute Kenya’s Gen Z and I stand in solidarity with you. Your voices are being heard loudly and clearly throughout the country. National Assembly, are you listening and will you heed your constituent’s demands to #RejectFinanceBill2024?,” Kalonzo wrote on X.
His comments come in response to the recent wave of demonstrations started by Kenya’s Gen Z youths.
In Mombasa and Nairobi, the protests started on Wednesday and Tuesday, respectively.
As of Thursday, the demonstrations had extended to a number of locations, including Eldoret, Nanyuki, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Kisii.
Young Kenyans led the Occupy Parliament demonstrations in opposition to the Finance Bill, 2024’s “punitive” tax measures.
The Gen Zers, armed only with cell phones and an unwavering will to be heard, ran amok with the police as they attempted to gain entry to Parliament Buildings in advance of the Finance Committee’s report on the Bill being tabled.
Youths used the hashtag #OccupyParliament to create a social media campaign slogan a few days prior to Tuesday’s rallies, pushing Kenyans to go in large numbers.
Their spirits were not deflated by the news that the government had withdrawn some of the controversial elements in the Bill and made compromises; in fact, several called the move a smoke screen.
They claimed it was indicative of a government that wanted to give in on some areas and take away on others that the projected 16 per cent VAT on items like bread was removed while levies on other similarly essential imported commodities were raised.
