In a striking admission that has sparked public outrage, Kenya’s National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah has confirmed that Parliament quietly passed nearly the entire Finance Bill 2024 last December -with little fanfare and, according to him, without public resistance.
“We passed 97 percent of that Bill on 4th December,” Ichung’wah said during a recent public address. “Nobody threw stones. Nobody died.”
His remarks have added fuel to a fire that’s already burning across the country. Thousands of Kenyans have been protesting in recent weeks, opposing new tax proposals contained in what they believed was still a pending Finance Bill.
It now appears most of those proposals were already law.
A Quiet Passage, a Loud Backlash
The Finance Bill 2024 sparked fierce criticism when it was first introduced last year, with many saying it would squeeze the already struggling middle and lower-income earners. In June 2024, massive protests broke out across major cities, pushing the government to promise public consultation and amendments.
What few knew, however, was that Parliament had already given the green light to nearly all the original clauses months earlier.
Only about 3 percent of the proposals were removed after public pressure, Ichung’wah noted, defending the process as legal and in line with parliamentary procedure.
But for many Kenyans, the issue is less about legality and more about transparency.
“People feel betrayed,” said Nairobi resident Grace Otieno. “We were out there protesting, thinking we had stopped something. But it was already done.”
Critics Call for Accountability
Opposition leaders and civil society groups have sharply criticised Ichung’wah’s comments. They argue the government deliberately kept the public in the dark.
“This is not just about taxes. It’s about trust,” said Senator Edwin Sifuna. “How can the public engage in meaningful dialogue when the decisions are already made behind closed doors?”
Legal experts have also weighed in. Constitutional lawyer Bobby Mkangi described the December passage as “technically legal but politically dishonest.”
Government Stands Its Ground
Despite the uproar, government officials insist the process followed due procedure. Ichung’wah accused critics of politicising the matter and urged Kenyans to read the full Bill for themselves.
He also blamed “misinformation on social media” for fuelling confusion over the Bill’s contents.
“The country cannot be run by emotions and hashtags,” he said. “There’s a process – and we followed it.”
But for many Kenyans, the feeling of being blindsided is hard to shake.
A Moment of Reckoning
The revelation comes at a time when public trust in the government is already under strain. Unemployment remains high, the cost of living continues to rise, and many young people say they feel unheard by leaders in power.
Now, calls are growing for Parliament to revisit the Bill -or at least to come clean about what really happened in December.
Whether that happens remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: what was passed quietly in December is now being debated loudly in the streets.
