In summary
- This is the defiance of governmental demands or orders without resorting to force to compel the modification of laws or policies.
- President William Ruto signed the Finance Act on Wednesday, according to Raila, who stated as much in a speech on Tuesday at Kamukunji grounds.
After the Finance Bill 2023 was brought into law, opposition leader Raila Odinga urged Kenyans to practice civil disobedience to refuse the Kenya Kwanza government taxes.
The Finance Act, which President William Ruto signed on Monday, will be repealed, according to Raila, who spoke on Tuesday at Kamukunji grounds.
“There is no longer any other choice. We must struggle. Till the Finance Act is repealed, we will struggle. To make this administration acknowledge that we, the people, are supreme, we shall engage in a number of acts of civil disobedience, he declared.
Carpooling is one of the disobedient behaviors that have been suggested for adoption. As a result, Raila claimed, Kenyans will consume less fuel, which will diminish the amount of fuel taxes that are collected after the new Finance Act increased the VAT on fuel items from 8% to 16%.
In addition, Raila urged Kenyans to reduce unnecessary travel and choose to walk rather than drive.
Here are my requests to the Kenyan people, he said: “Let’s embrace tax boycott, and let’s refuse the fuel tax by reducing our consumption of gasoline and diesel.”
Additionally, he urged matatu operators to adhere to the same by maintaining the going rate and tripling the number of passengers while upholding safety precautions.
The former prime minister urged traffic cops to show mercy to matatus that transport an excessive number of people.
“Our police officers support our call by allowing matatus to carry above capacity at current cost so that Kenyans can commute,” the man claimed.
Additionally, he asked firms to provide employees with enough time to walk to work.
Raila also urged companies to stop utilizing electronic tax registers, make no VAT returns, and give customers discounts instead.
We will “recover the VAT Ruto is taking illegally through fuel in this way,” he declared.
Employers were urged by Raila to disregard salary deductions from their workforce.
In order to pressure the government into acting to cut living expenses and repeal the new Finance Act, he also asked musicians to write and perform songs that reflect on the struggles that Kenyans face.
Let the traitors suffer from our songs and music. Until Ruto begins to appreciate the populace, let our music express our disillusionment and support the struggle against him and his disrespect for us, Raila stated.
The ODM leader addressed the online community and urged them to use their influence and notoriety to spread the boycott message to all Kenyans.
He urged Kenyans once more, pointing out that the people are sovereign.
