NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 24 \u2013 South Africa\u2019s outspoken politician and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, has expressed support for Kenya\u2019s anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests. <\/p>\n
In a strongly worded statement on Monday, Malema stressed that it is time for Kenya to resist the influence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, whom he accused of orchestrating the drafting of the Bill.<\/p>\n
Malema affirmed that his party \u201cstands in solidarity with the people of Kenya,\u201d describing the controversial Bill proposals as \u201cexploitative.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Finance Bill, which aims to raise $2.7 billion in additional taxes, will undoubtedly raise the cost of living and production, further burdening the people of Kenya, who like us, are already living under dire economic conditions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Generation Z, spearheading protests against the finance Bill, has transformed them into nationwide demonstrations, demanding the government withdraw the Bill.<\/p>\n
While President William Ruto\u2019s administration has advocated for the Bill\u2019s anticipated long-term benefits, Malema argues for severing ties with the IMF and the World Bank, pointing to their track record of \u201cundermining the sovereignty of developing countries.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe IMF and World Bank have a notorious history of treating African economies like lab rats for neoliberal templates,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Malema, who has previously voiced criticism of President Ruto\u2019s foreign policies and unmet campaign pledges, additionally urged the police to ensure the protesters\u2019 right to conduct peaceful demonstrations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe use of tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets against citizens exercising their right to protest is unacceptable. We urge the government to stand down the police and respect the people\u2019s right to peaceful assembly. All those who have been arrested should be released immediately,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Members of the National Assembly will on Tuesday vote on the Bill after they consider various amendments.<\/p>\n
The government\u2019s majority in the House is expected to secure the Bill\u2019s passage in the final vote.<\/p>\n
During the second reading of the Bill, 204 members voted in favor, while 115 opposed it.<\/p>\n
Subsequently, the Bill advanced to the Committee of the Whole House, where members will vote on individual clauses with proposed amendments.<\/p>\n
Government-aligned leaders remain confident about passing the Bill, despite facing criticism from Kenyans who have warned them ahead of the 2027 election.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 24 \u2013 South Africa\u2019s outspoken politician and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, has expressed support for Kenya\u2019s anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests. In a strongly worded statement on Monday, Malema stressed that it is time for Kenya to resist the influence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57253\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}