Kenyan President William Ruto makes stunning about-face on controversial tax bill
After days of deadly civil unrest, the African leader abruptly backed down from the costly legislation he'd once championed as necessary to save his country from crippling default


For years, Kenya has enjoyed the reputation of having one of the fastest-growing economies in all of Africa. Pandemic-era instability aside, Kenya has shown "considerable resilience in the face of recent shocks," and is expected to continue its upward economic trajectory "mainly driven by the private sector as business confidence strengthens and the public sector continues to scale back," The World Bank said this spring. Recently, however, the nation has been roiled by days of civil unrest and deadly riots over a sweeping set of steep tax increases passed by parliament, aimed at combating Kenya's ballooning national debt — and foregoing the possibility of crippling default.
This week, just one day after nearly two dozen protestors were killed in a march in the capital city of Nairobi, Kenyan President William Ruto announced he would not sign into law the controversial tax bill he'd previously championed. "Having reflected on the continuing conversation" and listened "keenly to the people of Kenya who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this," he said in a televised address on Wednesday, "I concede, and therefore I will not sign the 2024 finance bill." Although muted in size and intensity, anti-government protests have continued in Kenya despite Ruto's abrupt about-face.
'It pains me that we had to wait'
Ruto's decision not to sign Kenya's tax bill "will be seen as a major victory for a week-old, youth-led protest movement" that has morphed from "online condemnations of tax rises into mass rallies demanding a political overhaul," Reuters said. Throughout this crisis, the president has "scuppered a great deal of good will," said Kenyan analyst Nanjala Nyabola to The New York Times. Although Ruto very well "might survive this moment, he has pushed Kenya into such deep, uncharted territory."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ruto's announcement rejecting the tax bill "should have come earlier," Kenyan analyst Herman Manyora said to CNN. "He has done today what he should have done two days ago" to avoid this week's deaths. "It pains me that we had to wait," Manyora said.
Despite conceding defeat on this tax bill, "some protesters have turned their attention to Ruto's resignation, and are calling for the president to step down," Semafor said. Ruto "hasn't fired a single thief in his cabinet," said activist and protest leader Boniface Mwangi on X. "Even this 'reduced budget' will go into his people's pockets."
He hasn’t fired a single thief in his cabinet. Even this “reduced budget” will go into his people’s pockets. Budget ya bibi zao ime-reduce?First Lady budget increased to Sh696 million. Dorcas Rigathi received 557 MillionRigathi got 800 Million for Confidential Expenditure! pic.twitter.com/9ETWcCGj8MJune 26, 2024
The 'Zakayo' president
Since his election in 2022, Ruto's tenure has been plagued by allegations of financial mismanagement and dishonesty from voters who claim he'd "betrayed his campaign pledge to champion the interests of 'hustlers' — those who struggle financially," the BBC said last year. In anti-Ruto circles, the president is referred to mockingly as "Zakayo," the Swahili term for the "biblical figure Zacchaeus, who is portrayed in the Christian holy book as a greedy tax collector."
It's a term Ruto himself has embraced, if only partially in jest. "Since I have already been referred to as Zakayo in some areas, maybe we will have a tax collector day," he joked last year in remarks to the public after filing his taxes.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Given his embrace of the tax man moniker, why would Ruto reject his own tax bill now? "I don't believe it is genuine, I think he is just buying time," said Pan-African think-tank Institute for Security Studies senior researcher Willis Okumu to Al Jazeera. "I think he has been advised that this is politically damaging and most likely Western pressure has played a role." The "arrogance is gone, but the lies are still there," Mwangi seemingly agreed on X.
To effect real change in Kenya, simply pressuring Ruto to back down from this specific tax bill may not be enough. Instead, those protesting should "articulate what they specifically want, rather than just shouting that 'tax is modern-day slavery,'" Kenya's The Star newspaper said.
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
Why are Trump's health rumors about more than just presidential fitness?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Extended absences and unexplained bruises have raised concerns about both his well-being and his administration's transparency
-
Earth's seasons have gone wackadoodle
Under the radar It may have impacted biodiversity and evolution
-
How much does it cost to move? Here's how to budget and save.
the explainer Factors like move distance and the weight of your furnishings can affect the total cost — but there are several ways to economize
-
The Secret Service is reportedly facing a massive sniper shortage
The Explainer The agency is reportedly dealing with a 73% shortage
-
Trump soaks up adoration in his made-for-TV Cabinet meetings
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The president's televised sessions have become a platform for his top lieutenants to demonstrate executive flattery
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Military tensions are rising between the US and Venezuela
In the Spotlight Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been at odds with US forces
-
The red state push to join the DC occupation
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Republican governors are increasingly eager to volunteer their state's National Guard troops for Trump's ostensibly anti-crime siege of the nation's capital
-
Black women are being pushed out of the workforce en masse
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Employment data shows hundreds of thousands of Black women have left the labor market over the past few months. What's behind this mass exodus?
-
Why do Dana White and Donald Trump keep pushing for a White House UFC match?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The president and the sports mogul each have their own reasons for wanting a White House spectacle
-
Anti-trans scandal roils major LGBTQ+ literary prize as authors withdraw en masse
in the spotlight Multiple nominees for the UK's premier queer writing award have removed themselves from contention to protest the inclusion of a self-proclaimed 'trans-exclusionary radical feminist' in their ranks