National Assembly of Kenya has passed the controversial finance bill, despite nationwide protests.
Gatekeepers News reports that the lawmakers voted 195 against 106 to pass the bill on Tuesday with no abstentions.
President William Ruto had urged parliament to pass the bill last week after the protests gained momentum.
The bill was adopted with amendments to drop controversial taxes on bread, financial services, and motor vehicles.
However, lawmakers agreed to higher tax measures, including increasing the rate of the railway development levy to 2.5 percent of customs value and 3.5 percent for the import declaration fee. The bill is now headed for Ruto’s desk for assent.
Ruto had expressed his willingness to engage in dialogue with the protesting youths. However, after demonstrations took a dramatic turn on Tuesday, the president stated that conversations around the bill had been “hijacked by dangerous people”.
Ruto emphasised the need to distinguish between democratic expression and crime and vowed that the state would respond fully to the situation.
Several people have been confirmed dead after police fired live rounds and lobbed tear gas at demonstrators in Nairobi in an attempt to quell the uprising.
